The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has warned that those urging former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election are deliberately plotting to plunge the country into crisis.
Speaking on Channels Television “Politics Today”, monitored in Abuja on Wednesday night, Wike said it was hypocritical for the same people who frustrated Jonathan’s bid in 2015 to suddenly be calling on him to return, despite his established status as an international statesman.
“Anybody saying Jonathan should return because he will only do one term is only looking for crisis. These are the same people who abandoned him in 2015. Why now? Jonathan has made a name for himself globally and they just want to drag him into unnecessary conflict,” Wike said.
On the state of the nation, Wike admitted that Nigerians were facing economic hardship but maintained that President Bola Tinubu had taken “tough but necessary decisions” to reposition the economy. “Yes, there is hardship, I agree. But no one can deny that this government is making efforts to improve things. I see the projects in Abuja daily; they are evidence that something is happening,” he added.
He also dismissed recent warnings by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar about a looming revolution over hunger and poverty, accusing him of hypocrisy. “Atiku was vice president for eight years. Why didn’t he lay the foundation to prevent hunger then? Now he keeps talking about hunger and revolution. “For me, I don’t even bother reading what he says, because there is no truth in it,” Wike stated. Wike stressed that while Nigerians must remain patient with the Tinubu administration, opposition figures should not exploit current economic challenges for political gain.
