A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has declared that he would rather support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar than Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to become the country’s leader.

Speaking during a current affairs programme, Politics Today, on Channels Television, on Friday, Tambuwal, who also served as Governor of Sokoto State, clarified that his political choices have always been based on principles and national interest, not personal grudges.

“You have never heard me taking on Tinubu on personal grounds, and you have never heard me attacking Wike personally.

“Our disagreements are purely based on principle and the direction in which the country is heading,” he said.

Tambuwal is a bigwig in the Peoples Democratic Party.

In the build-up to the 2023 general election, Atiku defeated Wike in the party’s primary, a development that led to a major crack in the party, leading the now FCT minister to declare support for Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

Tambuwal recounted his political journey, especially his switch from the PDP to the APC during the Jonathan administration.

According to him, the move was motivated by ideological differences, not animosity.

“I had no problem with President Goodluck Jonathan, but we had our disagreements, and I moved from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress.

“When I was Speaker of the House of Representatives, we often had differing views on policy, that’s part of democracy,” he explained.

He also stressed that personal friendships do not interfere with his political decisions.

“If Wike comes in here today and Atiku also comes to request my phone, I will hand it to Wike as a personal friend. But when it comes to matters of national leadership, I draw the line,” he said.

Tambuwal further stated that his preference for Atiku over Wike is not personal, but a reflection of who he believes is more suited to lead Nigeria.

“Even tomorrow, I would rather support Atiku instead of Nyesom Wike for the leadership of this country,” he declared.

He added that Nigeria’s leadership must be built on vision, competence, and commitment to national progress not personal loyalty or emotional considerations.

The former governor, who represented Sokoto South in the 10th Senate, dismissed speculations that political thugs had transformed into bandits, saying he had no evidence to support such claims during his time as governor.

“From my experience, I cannot say that I have ever identified any political thug being involved in banditry when I served as governor of Sokoto or who transited into banditry,” he said.

Tambuwal also addressed ongoing investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission into alleged cash withdrawals during his tenure, describing the allegations as “politically motivated.”

“The matter is still under investigation. I’m going back to EFCC sometime this coming week. I don’t want to discuss it on national television.

“Let us continue the investigation and see how far they can prove that,” he said.

He dismissed claims that N189bn was withdrawn in cash during his administration describing the allegation as “simply impossible.”