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Wike’s aide publicly admits he’s the weapon fashioned against Atiku

Happy Friday, Big Brains. You don’t know what God has done for you if you don’t have a hater like Wike in your life.

Word count: ~ 1, 000
Reading time ~ 5 mins

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Let’s get into today’s edition:

• Wike’s aide publicly admits he’s the weapon fashioned against Atiku

• Senate leaders are on their 100th attempt at slashing data prices

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The Big Deal

Wike’s aide publicly admits he’s the weapon fashioned against Atiku

For many Nigerians, the “village people” discourse is a myth, but to former Vice President and presidential aspirant Atiku Abubakar, it’s as real as whatever you’re having for breakfast today. And if you haven’t clocked it, the “village people” in question is Nyesom Wike, former governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Not many people can publicly boast of having enough power to make sure someone “fail again and again” in their attempt to become the president of Nigeria, but Wike apparently can.

This fresh round of political drama started earlier this week when Atiku declared that he had “no regrets” not picking Wike as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election. It might sound as simple as this, but the beef between Atiku and Wike goes back to the 2022 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries.

After losing the party’s presidential ticket to Atiku, Wike thought he could rely on his political bro to give him the vice-presidential slot. Instead of picking him, Atiku went with the former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.

Responding to Atiku’s comment on his boss’ behalf, Lere Olayinka, Wike’s media said, “Someone should tell our serial presidential election contester that Wike also has no regret for ensuring that he failed in the election and will make sure that he fails again and again.”

According to Wike’s aide, they didn’t just manipulate the 2023 election result, they are likely going to do it again in 2027.

Now the Minister of the FCT and a key political force in Nigeria, Wike has more cards to play and the 2027 elections might just be one of them.

Why is this a big deal?

Olayinka’s latest claim isn’t just a jab; it’s a serious threat. We’ve recently seen the the events that led to how Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his former political protégé turned enemy, was suspended. The only legal way to unseat an elected governor is impeachment, yet, somehow, Fubara was packed up and shipped out like an expired item, and the National Assembly wasted no time backing President Tinubu’s decision. Not to point any fingers but Fubara hasn’t known a day of political peace since his rivalry with Wike started.

This latest threat isn’t Wike’s first either. In August 2024, he threatened to “put fire” in the states of all the PDP governors supporting Fubara. The fact that this same Wike is besties with President Tinubu now should bother all of us.

Atiku might be banking on political strategy, but Wike has shown that brute force and influence can wear anybody down in Nigerian politics.

Senate leaders are on their 100th attempt at slashing data prices

The Senate has been talking about slashing data prices since February, but maybe this 100th time will finally be the charm.

For their latest trick, they directed the Senate’s Communications Committee to investigate why data prices have skyrocketed by over 200%.

Speaking on March 27, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South), who sponsored the motion, said , increased data prices have brought Nigeria’s digital economy to its knees as they now compete with food prices. He pointed out that young Nigerians have whose make their livelihood off the internet are now having a difficult time due to the hiked prices of mobile data.

The Senate also wasn’t convinced by telecom operators' excuse that high exchange rates and operational costs left them no choice but to increase prices. Lawmakers argued that instead of making Nigerians pay more, telecom companies should explore other solutions rather than simply passing the entire burden onto consumers.

We’re not sure if this investigation will lead to anything, but at least they are addressing it.

If the Senate really believes that young Nigerians are "the backbone of the digital economy," we need them to throw some action behind their words.

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