‘Rivers Voters Aren’t Your Property,’ Atiku Fires Back at Wike

ABUJA — The political warfare between the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, escalated on Monday, with Atiku warning that the electorate in Rivers State are not “political slaves” to be allocated at will.

​Atiku’s reaction follows a weekend boast by Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, who asserted that the former Vice President and his new political platform, the ADC, would fail to secure even 10 per cent of the total votes cast in the oil-rich South-South state during the 2027 presidential election.

​Wike made the remarks during a Saturday luncheon organized in honour of candidates of the Rainbow Coalition—an alliance he controls—ahead of the 2027 polls. At the event, Wike also maintained that no candidate from any opposition party would clinch the Rivers State governorship seat unless approved by his coalition.

​Reacting via a strongly worded statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku stated that Wike’s comments betrayed a deep-seated panic within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) camp.

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​“Rivers votes are not your property. The people of Rivers State are not political slaves,” Atiku said. “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 direct verbal exchange comes on the heels of Atiku’s recent victory in the ADC presidential primary, where he defeated former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen to clinch the ticket. Observers note that Atiku’s emergence under the ADC banner has shaken up calculations for the 2027 race, prompting aggressive rhetoric from the ruling party’s stakeholders.

​Atiku pointed out that no individual, regardless of their current political influence or access to federal machinery, can dictate the voting pattern of an entire state. He added that rather than playing the role of a political oracle, Wike should focus on governance, stressing that Nigerians are far more preoccupied with biting economic realities than election predictions.

​“Nigerians are more concerned about the soaring cost of living, worsening insecurity, and economic hardship than the political predictions of a minister who appears to have abandoned governance for perpetual electioneering,” the statement concluded.

​With Rivers State already serving as a volatile political battleground due to Wike’s ongoing proxy war with his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the entry of Atiku’s ADC into the mix guarantees a highly combustible three-way contest as the race to 2027 intensifies.

​For more context on the ongoing political realignment, you can watch this analysis of how Atiku Wins the ADC Presidential Ticket to understand how his victory reshapes the opposition field against the ruling party.