Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched an attack on the opposition, declaring that any political platform or alliance presenting a joint ticket of compromised figures for the 2027 general election is offering Nigerians a “joint ticket of corruption.”

Wike said the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, have failed Nigerians.

He spoke yesterday during a high-powered political engagement at a Town Hall interactive meetings with Rumueme and Apara kingdoms in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area Rivers State.

The former Rivers State governor said such a desperate coalition stood no chance of securing the mandatory 25 per cent constitutional vote share in strategic states like Rivers, dismissing their electoral value as empty posturing built on a foundation of unmitigated graft.

Weaving his trademark fiery rhetoric with a reminder of past administrative records, Wike referenced the damning verdict passed on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar by his principal, former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He noted that a candidate whose monumental corruption baggage was unmasked and catalogued by no less a figure than his former boss could hardly lay claim to moral integrity.

The inclusion of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi into the equation, Wike noted, only worsened an already morally bankrupt ticket, compounding a legacy defined by self-service rather than public accountability.

He said: “When I saw Atiku on television yesterday, asking Nigerians to take any money given to them by people from the party in power, that it will be stolen money, I said haa, Atiku is now an apostle of anti-corruption?

“The same Atiku that his boss described as corrupt and that one of his major regrets is making him (Atiku) his Vice-President is talking.”

Shifting focus to the broader national landscape, Wike made it clear that his ultimate political preoccupation remained securing a resounding victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

Dismissing the opposition’s noise as the desperate gasps of political jobbers, the FCT Minister declared that President Tinubu’s re-election bid was a settled matter.

He called on the people of Rivers State to shun those deceiving Nigerians and vote for the re-election of President Tinubu.

Wike said Tinubu had done and brought several developments to Rivers State.

He said: “Each day I sleep, I am thinking about the president’s re-election. When I am eating, I think about the president’s re-election. Everything I am doing now is about the president’s re-election.

“Let us forget sentiment and vote the person that has recognised the people of Rivers State with dividends of democracy and with several appointments.

“I know the re-election of Tinubu in 2027 will be easier than that of 2023. We should appreciate Tinubu and ensure massive votes for him. We can do it.”

The minister said he harboured no illusions about the heavy political battles ahead.

Addressing party faithful, Wike cautioned against internal friction and endless political distractions orchestrated by elements seeking to destabilise the grassroots.

He stressed that true political capacity stemmed from organic connection with the people, contrasting the transparent vision of the current administration with the dark records of those seeking to return to power through compromised alliances.

Wike said: “What will be, will be. You don’t need to kill yourself… Anything that God said would be, it would be.”

He also faulted the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, describing him and others as ‘unelectable’ politicians. (The Nation)

Update news