Tambuwal is a consistent betrayer, loyal only in pursuit of power, says Wike

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has accused Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Sokoto, of political betrayal and inconsistency.

Wike spoke on Thursday during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.

The minister was reacting to Tambuwal’s recent comments that he would always choose former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over Wike in matters of leadership.

Tambuwal, who also spoke on Politics Today, had pledged loyalty to Abubakar, stressing that his decisions were guided by values of governance rather than friendship.

“When it comes to leadership of this country and leadership of the people, tomorrow, not even today, I would rather support Atiku than Nyesom Wike. It is a collaboration. It is not something difficult,” Tambuwal had said.

“Once it is about being altruistic and nothing personal, you have never seen me going against President Bola Tinubu personally, and you have never heard of me going against Nyesom Wike personally.”

Reacting on the show, Wike said he once backed Tambuwal’s speakership bid against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP’s) choice, but added that loyalty had never been reciprocated.

“I have never come out on national television to talk about Aminu Tambuwal, but this is an opportunity to talk about him,” Wike said.

“Tambuwal and Atiku. These are people who have been consistently inconsistent, betrayers. Birds of the same feather flock together.

“There’s no way Tambuwal would go without Atiku, knowing full well their antecedents.

“Who is Tambuwal? In 1999 he was special assistant to Senator Wali; he left and joined APP or AD or whatever it was called, and he came back to PDP, where he became speaker — we funded that position.

“He left PDP and went to APC in 2014, he left APC by 2017 to join PDP so that he would run for president, and now he is going to ADC. Look at the trajectory and look at Atiku.”

‘I MADE A MISTAKE’

Wike also claimed that before the 2022 PDP presidential primary, a meeting was held at the home of General Ali Gusau, where certain decisions were made that were not in his favour.

The ex-governor also admitted that he made a mistake by allowing his supporters in Kano and Katsina to wear the party’s uniform.

“I was going to win the 2022 PDP presidential primaries, but it turned out they were meeting in General Ali Gusau’s house,” the FCT minister said.

“They told Saraki and Bala Mohammed to withdraw; they refused.

“The mistake I made was allowing my supporters in Kano and Katsina to wear our uniform.”

Narrating the events of 2022, Wike claimed that Tambuwal, who withdrew from the PDP presidential primaries to support Abubakar’s aspiration, negotiated to be the director-general of the campaign and also senate president.

The former Rivers governor also accused former Senate President David Mark of using his military coup experience to rig the election.