President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar recently met at the National Mosque in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, during Jumat prayers.

The occasion was also a wedding ceremony for Senator Danjuma Goje’s daughter, and it brought together other prominent figures, including APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed, and former Borno Governor Ali Modu Sheriff.

According to presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, Atiku is an old friend of President Tinubu, and their meeting was a friendly encounter.

This meeting, it was gathered, is significant, especially considering their history as opponents in the 2023 election.

However, as some observers noted, it’s not surprising, given their long-standing acquaintance and the fact that they move in the same social circles.

The event highlights the complexities of Nigerian politics, where former rivals can put aside their differences and come together in social and religious settings. As one commentator put it, “Life itself is bigger than politics”.

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says the camp of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, is fighting him.

Wike spoke on Saturday during a private luncheon with stakeholders in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital.

The luncheon was hosted by Wike in honour of the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers house of assembly.

During the event, the FCT minister aimed digs at his political opponents.

The former Rivers governor said he refused to support Obi for the 2023 presidential election despite being lobbied “so much” for support.

He added that some persons in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who want the party’s presidential ticket in 2027, are also ganging up against him.

Wike boasted that his political enemies would not emerge victorious.

“Let me tell you what is going on. I have no regret at all for supporting President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. I have no regret about it,” he said.

“All these things you are seeing… there is Atiku’s group, Peter Obi’s group and some few governors of the PDP who believe I’m a problem to them. I will continue to be a problem to them.

“Atiku’s group believes that I and my team stopped them from becoming president. What we stopped was injustice. All we wanted was equity and fairness.

“Obi’s group — they lobbied me so much. They can’t deny it. I said, ‘look, this won’t fly. Rivers state will not go to where we will not… it won’t fly’. There is also a gang-up. They are fighting us back. They are fighting themselves.

“There is another gang-up within the PDP who wants to be president and they say, ‘look if we don’t do anything now we have a problem’. I can assure you they will have a problem.

“There is another APC — very prominent. All these people combined, they will lose.”

In the build-up to the 2023 presidential election, Wike refused to support the ambition of PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and LP’s Obi and instead backed Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) standard bearer.

Paul Ibe, the media adviser to Atiku Abubakar, has criticised Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), over his recent comments against the former vice-president.

During a private luncheon with stakeholders in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, on Saturday, Wike taunted Abubakar over his failed presidential bids.

He said Nigerians have rejected the former vice-president multiple times.

The minister’s remarks were a retort to Abubakar’s remarks over the outcome of Rivers state LG elections.

Although the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not field candidates in the Rivers LG elections, Abubakar said the outcome depicted the rejection of political oppression and godfatherism in the state.

Abubakar’s comment was a veiled attack on Wike, who has been accused of interfering with the state’s political space.

“If you say that an election we did not contest or participate in shows that Nigerians have rejected us, it is okay; you that contested and failed woefully, Nigerians have rejected you (Atiku); therefore, park and go home,” Wike replied.

‘WIKE’S COMMENTS ARE A LINGERING SYMPTOM OF BITTERNESS FROM DEFEAT’

In a statement addressing the spat, Ibe described Wike’s comments as another “theatrical outburst”.

Ibe said the minister spoke from a place of bitterness harboured from his defeat to Abubakar at the party’s presidential primaries in 2022.

“Ordinarily, we would not respond, but we recognize that silence might be misinterpreted,” the statement reads.

“However, we remain calm, knowing that Nigerians are well acquainted with his antics, a lingering symptom of the bitterness he harbours from his defeat to the Wazirin Adamawa at the 2022 party presidential primaries.

“Mr. Wike’s comments are nothing more than a string of inanities, lacking substance, and driven by personal grievances.

“If he truly believes Nigerians are content with the current state of affairs under the government he serves, it reveals a deeper truth: his priorities lie not with the people but with himself. This self-absorption is evident in his preoccupation with domestic affairs in Rivers rather than his ministerial responsibilities.”

Ibe said Wike’s comments are “baseless rants” crafted to divert attention from the real challenges faced by citizens, adding that Abubakar remains focused on the welfare and progress of the people.