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Atiku: Wike Has Turned Altar of the God into political soapbox, Day of Reckoning Not Far
Former Vice President and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, NyesomWike, for turning the church pulpit into a political campaign propaganda, warning that his day of reckoning was no longer far.
However, in what many had described as a significant political momentum, the ADC website crashed three times in just 48 hours, overwhelmed by a surge of Nigerians seeking information and membership following the recent opposition coalition.
This was as the ADC raised the alarm over an alleged plot by elements within the Tinubu administration to undermine and destabilise the growing opposition coalition.
In another development, a former Secretary to the Government of Federation, David Babachir Lawal, has announced his decision to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At the same time, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has cautioned leaders of the coalition that any attempt to exclude any region from participating in the contest to select a presidential candidate for the coalition would result in a stillbirth for the movement.
Meanwhile, chairman of the APC, Ebonyi State chapter, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, has said the opposition coalition parties would not make any inroad in the state because of the popularity and performance of Governor Francis Nwifuru of the state.
Similarly, some youths in Ondo State, have expressed pessimism over the formation of the ADC, stating that the move would end up in fiasco.
However, Atiku described what Wike did as a desecration of the altar of God as well as an abomination in the sight of man and God.
Wike had Sunday at the St James Anglican Church in Asokoro, Abuja, turned the church’s pulpit into a campaign soapbox.
But reacting, Atiku said, ‘’The land-grabbing Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, staggered into church not to seek forgiveness but to turn the altar of the Most High into a political soapbox.’’
According to Atiku, in a statement by his Media Aide, Paul Ibeh, ‘’Now, let me be clear: there’s absolutely nothing wrong with going to Church. I, too, was in the sanctuary today — lifting my voice in thanksgiving to Jehovah for the safe delivery of the Coalition.
“A coalition that W(h)I(s)KE(y), the Herod of the FCT, tried — unsuccessfully — to abort before it saw the light of day. But God prevailed. The coalition lives.
‘’What is utterly abominable, however, is the desecration of the sacred altar with partisan bile, as Wike shamelessly did today. It is written: “Take these things away! Stop making My Father’s house a place of commerce!” (John 2:16 AMP).
“But in Wike’s hands, the house of God became a theatre of lies, vengeance, and drunken arrogance. Perhaps he should have used the moment to repent for the impunity with which he has been allocating prime Abuja lands to his sons, in what now resembles a feudal monarchy masquerading as public service.
“According to credible reports by an online newspaper, this self-proclaimed democrat of a government by the father, for the sons, had first denied these transactions. Now, cornered by truth, he has resorted to intimidation — ordering the arrest of a civil servant from the FCDA for allegedly leaking documents that exposed his abuse of office.
‘’As a Christian, Wike will be allocated a burial plot of an average of 8 feet long and 2.5 feet wide when he finishes his race like all mortals. It matters less if he is rich (but of unknown source of income) or poor. The space is not even big enough to accommodate his Rolls Royce.
‘’Has Wike forgotten so soon how he came to Atiku Abubakar with Makinde and others to beg to be handed the Vice Presidential ticket in 2023? He also lobbied friends and associates of the former Vice President for the same.
‘’Selective amnesia must be a side effect of alcohol because Wike clearly forgets that Atiku trounced him twice — first in Port Harcourt in 2019 and again in Abuja in 2023.
‘’If he still thirsts for humiliation, he should prepare for a third and final defeat — this time, right at his doorstep in Obio-Akpor.
‘’Wike should remember: God is not mocked. The altar is not a podium for propaganda. And the day of reckoning is not far off,’’ he concluded.
ADC Website Crashes Thrice in 48 Hours
The ADC website has reportedly crashed three times in just 48 hours, overwhelmed by a surge of Nigerians seeking information and membership registration following the recent opposition coalition.
The development is being hailed as a barometer of public interest in the emerging alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other prominent opposition figures in the country.
The political pact, which was formally unveiled on July 3, aims to forge a common front capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election.
The repeated outages were brought to public attention by the Special Assistant on Digital Media and Strategy to Atiku, Demola Olarewaju.
Taking to X, Olarewaju said, “ADC website has crashed three times since the coalition was announced: Nigerians have been waiting for an alternative to APC, and it is advertising itself already.”
His comments were met with enthusiasm from coalition supporters and those confounded by the development.
According to one analyst, Sani Kabo, the volume of traffic overwhelming the party’s website is widely seen as indicative of a growing appetite for political realignment ahead of the next election cycle.
Other political observers drew comparisons between the current coalition-building effort and the 2013 merger that gave birth to the APC, which successfully unseated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after 16 years in power.
The present initiative, led by many opposition heavyweights, is seen as potentially capable of replicating that feat, particularly if it could unite Nigeria’s fragmented political base.
“This isn’t just a website crashing. It’s the sound of Nigerians knocking on the door of change,” said a political analyst, who asked not to be named. “People want in. They want to participate.”
While the surge in attention has reignited enthusiasm among supporters of both Atikuand Obi, the coalition leaders sued for caution and a focus on institution-building.
Meanwhile, the ADC has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by some elements within the Tinubu administration to undermine and destabilise the growing opposition coalition.
In a statement on Monday by the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC revealed that former state chairmen and key members of the party’s state executive committees in the North East and North West have been summoned to a secret meeting with top officials of the federal government.
“We have credible intelligence that the aim of this meeting is not for national security or peacebuilding. It is to intimidate, coerce, and if possible, co-opt these individuals into a fabricated scheme against the opposition coalition. This is not politics. This is sabotage,” the statement statement said
According to the ADC, ‘’The motive is clear: to sow confusion within the party, de-legitimise its new leadership, and derail its rising momentum as the new face of the opposition in Nigeria.
“Let it be clear, this surreptitious dalliance with the ADC State Chairpersons by appointees of the federal government who should be focused on urgent national security priorities and challenges that the country is facing is a coordinated assault on multiparty democracy. This is how one-party states are born—through intimidation.
“The July 1st Coalition Declaration, and the July 2nd unveiling of the ADC, haveclearly rattled the ruling party. It is now obvious that the Tinubu administration — having lost the trust of the Nigerian people — cannot withstand the pressure of a united and credible opposition.
‘’But rather than correct its ways, it has resorted to its old playbook of destabilisingopposition parties.
“Let it be clear: the coalition movement is an idea whose time has come. This party belongs to every Nigerian who is tired of the lies, the manipulation, and the hardship. It belongs to every Nigerian who wants to restore decency, vision, and justice to governance.
‘’We would therefore not allow a handful of desperate men to turn Nigeria into a one-party dictatorship. And it would be our patriotic duty to resist it with every democratic means available to us.”
Former SGF Dumps APC
Former Secretary to the Government of Federation, David Babachir Lawal, has announced his decision to leave the APC.
In his letter of resignation addressed to the chairman of Bangshika ward in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, dated June 29, 2025, the former Secretary to Government of Federation said the resignation was with immediate effect.
‘’I write to formally notify you of my resignation from the All Progressives Congress. In due course, I will make public my current political affiliations, where I plan to join other compatriots to work towards making Nigeria a better living place for all its citizens.
‘’This resignation takes immediate effect. Please, remain blessed and extend my warm regards to other members of your party,’’ he said.
He did not state where his political destination would be, but he is one of the known architects of the ADC
But Farouk Aliyu, a known chieftain of the APC, has described the opposition coalition as a group of personally aggrieved politicians driven by self-interest, not ideology.
In response to the formation of ADC, Aliyu dismissed the alliance as a congregation of individuals driven by personal grievances rather than national interest.
