Former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has said he would support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, if faced with a choice on Nigeria’s future leadership.
Speaking during an interview on Politics Today on Friday, Tambuwal said his political choices are guided strictly by principles of leadership rather than personal relationships.
“When it comes to the leadership of this country and leadership of the people, tomorrow, not even today, I would rather support Atiku than Nyesom Wike,” he said.
Tambuwal clarified that his support for Atiku is not rooted in personal bias but in policy and principle, stressing that he has always maintained cordial relationships with past and present leaders across party lines.
“It is a collaboration; it is not something difficult. Once it is about being altruistic and nothing personal. You have never seen me going against President Bola Tinubu personally, you have never heard of me going against Nyesom Wike personally,” he said.
The former governor also recalled that his political disagreements with leaders such as former President Goodluck Jonathan were based on principles and policy direction, not personal grievances.
Emphasising the separation between friendship and leadership, Tambuwal added:“It is not about my friendship with you, and I am saying this with all sense of responsibility. If Atiku Abubakar comes in here and Wike requests my phone, which is personal to me, I will personally give it to Wike as a personal friend.”
In 2023, Wike had criticised Tambuwal, Atiku and former Senate President Bukola Saraki over what he described as their failure to honour an agreement within the PDP leadership to zone the presidential ticket to the South.
