Atiku to Wike: Rivers people are not your political property

The war of words ahead of the 2027 presidential election intensified on Monday as African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar accused Federal Capital Territory minister Nyesom Wike of treating Rivers voters as personal political assets, following the minister’s boast that the opposition coalition would fail to secure even 10 percent of votes in the state.

Atiku’s response came after Wike confidently declared at a political gathering in Rivers State that neither the ADC nor its presidential candidate stood any realistic chance of making an electoral impact in the state during the next general election. The former Rivers governor also asserted that only candidates backed by his Rainbow Coalition could emerge victorious in the state’s governorship race, reinforcing claims of his continued dominance of Rivers politics.

Reacting through a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described Wike’s comments as arrogant, dismissive of the democratic rights of Rivers people, and indicative of growing nervousness within political circles aligned with President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 polls.

According to the former vice president, Rivers voters are politically enlightened citizens capable of making independent decisions without pressure or directives from powerful politicians.

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“Rivers votes are not your property. The people of Rivers State are not political slaves. They are intelligent, independent-minded Nigerians who will make their choices based on the realities confronting them and the future they desire for their children,” the statement read.

Atiku further argued that no politician, regardless of influence, political structure, or access to federal power, can determine the voting pattern of an entire state.

The ADC candidate also suggested that Wike’s remarks reflected anxiety over the growing momentum of opposition alliances seeking to challenge the ruling establishment in the 2027 elections. He maintained that attempts to downplay the strength of emerging coalitions would not alter the realities facing Nigerians or their desire for political change.

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Wike had made the controversial remarks during a luncheon organised for candidates under the Rainbow Coalition in Rivers State, where he projected confidence in the coalition’s ability to dominate future elections. He insisted that his political structure remained the most formidable force in the state and predicted that candidates outside the coalition would struggle to gain traction.

The latest clash highlights the deepening political rivalry between Atiku and Wike, whose relationship has remained fractured since the events leading up to and following the 2023 presidential election. As preparations for 2027 gather pace, Rivers State appears set to remain one of the country’s most fiercely contested political battlegrounds.