A public affairs commentator, Biola Kazeem, has stated that Nyesom Wike has won the political battle between him and Atiku Abubakar.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers state and Atiku, a former vice president, has been at loggerheads before the 2023 general elections.
The disagreement between the duo began after Wike lost to Atiku during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary election.
The dispute was heightened after Atiku failed to make Wike his running mate after reportedly giving his commitment to the former Rivers governor.
Atiku instead settled for Ifeanyi Okowa, former Delta governor, whose political value was somewhat dismissed by many PDP chieftains.
Aggrieved over his non-selection, Wike and some of his then-colleagues formed a group named G-5.
The G-5 became Atiku’s nemesis during the polls as they openly worked against his ambition and endorsed other presidential candidates.
Wike’s reward for endorsing Tinubu was a ministerial slot, which put him in charge of the Nigerian capital.
Kazeem says Wike is better off after his face-off with Atiku, noting that the former Rivers governor played his cards right.
”Say what you want, but Wike won the war. Derailed Atiku’s wagon, backed the right horse and extracted a juicy reward (he’s a governor again), kept Rivers state in line and retains an army of powerful supporters in PDP.
”Atiku will be smart enough to accept that he lost this war,” he said.
Atiku’s woes were made worse after his state governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, openly congratulated Wike for his appointment as minister.
Fintiri had also attended a Thanksgiving Service organised by Wike in Port Harcourt recently.