Abuja, March 26, 2025 | The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, declared Wednesday that he holds no regrets over missing out on the vice-presidential slot in the 2023 election and promised to ensure former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar fails in any future presidential bids. Wike’s statement came through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, in response to Atiku’s recent comments.
Atiku, speaking in an interview with Adesina Giwa-Osagie, said he had no regrets about choosing former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate over Wike for the 2023 election. Atiku explained that a PDP committee ranked Okowa first, Wike second, and former Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel third, leading him to pick Okowa. The decision fueled a rift between the two politicians, which began during the contentious 2022 PDP primaries.
Olayinka, posting on X, countered that Wike also has no regrets about Atiku’s choice. He accused Atiku of costing the PDP a winnable election in 2023 and vowed that Wike would work to see Atiku lose again. “Two years after making PDP lose an election it could have won, Atiku is giving reasons he didn’t pick Wike and says he has no regrets,” Olayinka wrote. “Someone should tell our serial presidential election contestant that Wike has no regret for ensuring he failed and will make sure he fails again and again.”
The feud traces back to 2022, when Wike lost the PDP presidential ticket to Atiku and expected to be named running mate. Atiku’s choice of Okowa instead deepened their divide, with Wike later backing President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 race. As of 1:44 PM WAT, the back-and-forth shows no signs of cooling, spotlighting the PDP’s lingering internal battles.