Former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has refuted claims that he betrayed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary in 2022.
At the convention, Tambuwal had withdrawn from the race and threw his weight behind former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a move that paved the way for Atiku’s emergence as the party’s flagbearer.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Tambuwal clarified that his decision was not an act of betrayal, insisting that Wike remained his close ally.
“If Atiku comes here today and Wike also comes in, and both of them ask me for my phone, I will hand it over to Wike because he is my friend,” he said.
He explained that both he and Wike had separately indicated their interest in the contest, stressing that betrayal only exists where there is a prior agreement that is deliberately broken.
Meanwhile, former Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, has alleged that the PDP is now under Wike’s firm grip.
Okonkwo claimed that the ruling structures within the opposition party have effectively handed its 2027 presidential ticket to the FCT Minister, accusing Wike of imposing his will and treating his opinions as binding directives.
