Former presidential aide and Arise TV Morning Show anchor, Dr Reuben Abati, has criticised Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike over what he described as an attempt to dictate political choices ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Abati made the remarks on Friday while contributing to Ojy Okpe’s What’s Trending segment on the Morning Show, where he reacted to a video circulating online that reportedly showed his allocating political positions to individuals at a rally in Rivers State.
According to Abati, His conduct suggested that he believed he could determine who would occupy various political offices, including the presidency, governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly.
Abati said Wike had declared that President Bola Tinubu would retain the presidency while identifying candidates for other positions and calling on some individuals at the gathering to step forward.
He questioned the minister’s apparent approach to political contests, arguing that elected offices should be determined by voters rather than allocated by political leaders.
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“Him and Senator Umahi and all of them, they are working for the same purpose, to make sure that President Tinubu is elected. So, they are family in that regard,” Abati said.
However, he expressed concern over what he described as Wike’s tendency to act as though he could dictate political outcomes.
“But what I don’t understand is the way Minister Wike, for example, behaves as if he can dictate to everybody,” he added.
Abati further recounted how Wike allegedly named individuals for different political positions at the rally, including a candidate for the House of Representatives and others for the state House of Assembly.
He said the process appeared to involve allocating seats before seeking public support for the named individuals.
“No. Nobody should have that kind of power. It should be the Nigerian people, the electorate that should vote,” Abati said.
