…accuses him of arrogantly desecrating the pulpit.
Cyril Mbah, Abuja
Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who was also the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, of arrogantly desecrating the pulpit by turning the area into a podium for political rhetoric and undeserved insults against opponents.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Paul Ibeh, Atiku condemned Wike for allegedly using a church thanksgiving service last Sunday to comment on the political aspirations of former Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Nigeria’s ongoing economic challenges warning that the minister’s “day of reckoning is fast approaching.”
Continuing, the statement said: “At a time when he should have sought grace, the land-grabbing Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, walked into church not in humility but to turn the sacred altar of God into a platform for political grandstanding.
“There is nothing wrong with attending church—I was also in the house of God today, offering thanks for the safe delivery of the Coalition, a coalition that Wike tried to abort before its birth. But God prevailed.
The coalition lives.
“What is indefensible, however, is Wike’s shameless politicisation of the pulpit. It is written: ‘Take these things away! Stop making My Father’s house a place of commerce!’ (John 2:16 AMP).
Yet in Wike’s hands, the altar became a stage for falsehoods, vengeance, and arrogant bluster.”
Atiku also accused Wike of allocating choice Abuja lands to his sons in a manner that suggests a “feudal monarchy disguised as public service,” citing investigative reports that revealed questionable land deals.
“Initially, Wike denied these reports. But now that evidence has emerged, he has resorted to intimidation—ordering the arrest of a Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) official accused of leaking the incriminating documents,” the statement alleged.
Atiku said, “When Wike’s time on earth ends, he, like every mortal, will be buried in a space no larger than 6 feet by 2.5 feet. No amount of unexplained wealth or luxury will change that.
Even his Rolls-Royce won’t fit.”
He also reminded Wike of the times he sought the vice-presidential slot in 2023 through lobbying and back-channel pleas.
“Has Wike forgotten so soon how he came to me with Governor Makinde and others to beg for the VP ticket in 2023? He also reached out to my allies and associates for the same.
“Selective amnesia must be one of the side effects of alcohol,” Atiku said, adding, “especially when he forgets that I defeated him twice—first in Port Harcourt in 2019 and again in Abuja in 2023.
“If he desires another round of humiliation, he should get ready for a third and final defeat, this time on home turf—Obio-Akpor,” Atiku concluded but warned also that, “God is not mocked. The altar is not for propaganda. And the day of reckoning is fast approaching.”
