Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused former Minister of Transportation and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, of playing a major role in the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election, while insisting that President Bola Tinubu remains the only politician capable of winning Rivers State in the 2027 general election.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike described Amaechi as a political liability who no longer possesses the electoral strength to influence election outcomes in Rivers State or the South-South region.
According to the FCT minister, anyone calculating Rivers State votes ahead of the 2027 election should only do so in favour of President Tinubu.
“If anybody is counting Rivers, go now and cancel it. The only person that can count Rivers is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am not talking because I want to talk; I am talking as a political realist because I know my people,” Wike said.
Wike also questioned the basis for Amaechi’s emergence as the ADC’s vice-presidential candidate, suggesting that his selection was not based on his ability to attract votes.
“I am sure the only factor that has been used to choose Rotimi Amaechi may be financial because the former governor lacks the capacity to deliver votes,” he stated.
The minister argued that Amaechi’s electoral record does not support claims that he remains politically influential, recalling that despite leading former President Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaigns in 2015 and 2019, as well as supporting Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 election, he failed to deliver significant votes in Rivers State.
“He has never won a presidential election after 2011 when I was the Director of Campaign. Never! He was the Director-General of Buhari in 2015 when he was governor; why did he not get 25%? He was the DG in 2019 when he was a Super Minister; why did he not get 25%? He supported Atiku in 2023; how come he didn’t get 15%?” Wike asked.
Wike further accused Amaechi of political inconsistency, recalling that the former minister had criticised the ADC presidential primary as corrupt and irregular before eventually participating in the same process.
“This was the same man, just one month ago, who said the ADC primary was manual, irregular and corrupt. The same man now is benefiting from the corruption, from irregularities of the same system,” he said.
The former Rivers governor also blamed Amaechi for working against former President Goodluck Jonathan’s second-term ambition in 2015, questioning how the South-South region could now support Amaechi’s own national political ambition.
“A South-South person wanted to go for a second term. You were proud you kicked him out. Now, will South-South be happy for you to be Vice President? You think that people have forgotten?” Wike queried.
Highlighting what he described as the current administration’s commitment to Rivers State, Wike pointed to projects such as the Bonny Road as evidence that the state has received more federal attention under President Tinubu than under previous administrations.
“Never in the history of Rivers State, from 1999, have we had the type of attention that Rivers State has now,” he said.
The minister also revealed that a broad political coalition involving members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), Action Alliance (AA) and other political groups had agreed to work together in Rivers State while supporting President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
According to him, candidates emerging from the coalition should be seen as representing the collective interest of Rivers people rather than individual political parties.
“Today, we have PDP, APC, Labour Party, AA all together. Whoever emerges should not be seen as APC or PDP; the person should be seen as the coalition’s candidate,” Wike stated.
He insisted that the coalition was not formed to promote personal ambition but to ensure continued development in Rivers State.
Reflecting on his political journey, Wike recalled the 2019 governorship election, claiming that Rivers experienced an unprecedented deployment of federal security forces but that his political camp survived the challenge.
“I saw what federal might means. Military personnel came with battalions as if Rivers State was at war. We survived it by the grace of God and fought back,” he added.
