Omokri Likens Atiku To ‘Lion Chasing After Rats’ Over Clash With Wike

Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide, has expressed disappointment in former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for openly exchanging words with the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

He likened Atiku’s behaviour to a “lion chasing after rats.”

Omokri, who campaigned for Atiku ahead of the 2023 presidential election, said it was beneath the former vice president to engage in a verbal exchange with Wike.

This came after Atiku praised Rivers State residents for rejecting “political oppression” and “machinations of self-serving godfathers,” which Wike interpreted as a gibe directed at him.

Wike had backed Governor Siminalayi Fubara to succeed him as governor but the duo fell out barely months after Fubara took office.

The FCT minister in response Atiku called him a failed politician rejected by Nigerians on all the occasions he ran for president.

Omokri, in his reaction, said Atiku and Wike are not on the same level politically because the FCT minister was a local government chairman when Atiku was vice president between 1999 and 2007.

“If I were Waziri, I would allow Wike to say whatever he wants about me and absorb it. It does not diminish Waziri. What diminishes Waziri and gives Wike muscles is Atiku responding to him or attacking him.

“If Atiku engages in a media exchange with Wike, it is a promotional advert for Wike and a demotion for him. Even if there must be a response, Waziri could consider delegating it to his running mate in the 2023 election, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. And if Okowa is unwilling, then he should request another surrogate to do so.

“But to personally throw jibes at Wike or respond to Wike’s own quips should be considered a low-hanging fruit by Waziri. Even Governor Simi Fubara does not respond directly to Wike, how much the former Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.

“If a lion chased after rats, it may be mistaken for a domestic cat,” Omokri wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, has described Wike’s comments as theatrical outbursts.

Ibe said his principal would not “descend into the gutters” with the FCT minister by further responding to him.

Quoting Ibe, “Our attention has been drawn to the recent remarks made by Mr. Nyesom Wike, which can only be described as another of his theatrical outbursts. Ordinarily, we would not respond, but we recognize that silence might be misinterpreted.

“However, we remain calm, knowing that Nigerians are well acquainted with his antics, a lingering symptom of the bitterness he harbours from his defeat to the Wazirin Adamawa at the 2022 party presidential primaries.

“Wike’s comments are nothing more than a string of inanities, lacking substance and driven by personal grievances. If he truly believes Nigerians are content with the current state of affairs under the government he serves, it reveals a deeper truth: his priorities lie not with the people but with himself. This self-absorption is evident in his preoccupation with domestic affairs in Rivers rather than his ministerial responsibilities.

“While he may seek to divert attention with his baseless rants, we remain focused on the genuine issues affecting Nigerians. It is clear that Mr. Wike is more concerned with self-interest than addressing the real challenges faced by the nation. In contrast, our commitment remains unwavering, centred on the welfare and progress of the people.

“Wike appears to delight in conjuring fantasies, indulging in his imagination, and paying for live TV coverage to launch tirades against whomever he pleases. However, we shall not descend into the gutters where he feels at home. Instead, we prefer to rise above, maintaining our dignity while others revel in the mud.”

As Rivers State Governor, Wike led a self-styled ‘Integrity Group’ which consisted of five PDP governors who actively worked against Atiku’s candidacy in the last election.
Their opposition to Atiku was partly fixed on the rotational presidency. They had called for the presidency to rotate from the north to the south after eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

When Atiku sought to reconcile with them ahead of the 2023 election, they demanded the resignation of the then PDP chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as a precondition.