A former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Bola Tinubu, Aliyu Audu, has launched a scathing critique of the current political landscape, accusing Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of simultaneously undermining both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Audu, who recently resigned from his role in the presidency, made the explosive remarks during an appearance on Arise News on Thursday. He alleged that Wike, though a member of the opposition PDP, has been allowed to wield significant control over the APC in both Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory — a situation he claims is enabled by President Tinubu.
“Wike is destroying the PDP with the support of the President,” Audu said. “The office of the Minister of the FCT is a state power that can be used to back the president — and it’s now being used to destabilize opposition politics.”
Audu expressed deep concern over what he described as a political monopoly emerging under Tinubu’s administration. He warned that promoting political dominance while preaching economic liberalization is contradictory and dangerous for Nigeria’s democracy.
“You can’t sell Nigerians a liberalized economy and at the same time monopolize politics,” he argued. “It doesn’t work. The economy is a subset of politics.”
The former aide also criticized the ruling party’s reluctance to confront internal problems directly. “We pretend to acknowledge the problems within our system but instead of confronting them head-on, we expend energy avoiding their consequences,” he said.
Audu further recalled his political involvement in the FCT, saying he had contested for the APC’s local government chairmanship ticket in 2015 and contributed to the party’s eventual victory, even though he did not win the primary.
His remarks come at a time of heightened political tension within both major parties as the nation inches closer to the 2027 general elections. His claims have sparked renewed conversations about Wike’s role in national politics and the extent of his influence under the current administration.
Neither the Presidency nor the FCT Minister has issued an official response to Audu’s allegations at the time of this report.
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