The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and leader of the Rainbow Coalition, Nyesom Wike, has said the African Democratic Congress will not win Rivers State in the 2027 general elections, alleging that the party’s candidate, former governor Rotimi Amaechi, has repeatedly blamed electoral defeats on the manipulation of results.
Wike stated this on Saturday while addressing members of the Uzugbani Ekpeye at Ahoada, Rivers State, where he also urged the people of Ekpeye to scrutinise the records of politicians seeking their support ahead of the 2027 elections.
The former Rivers State governor said Amaechi had consistently attributed his electoral setbacks to alleged result manipulation, but maintained that the same explanation could not account for the outcomes of elections held since 2011.
Wike, who served as Director-General of Amaechi’s campaign in the 2011 governorship election, challenged the former governor to name an election he had won since their political relationship ended.
“Since I left him in 2011, after 2011, mention one election that he has ever won,” Wike said.
He recalled that Amaechi won the 2011 governorship election while he was the Director-General of the campaign, but argued that subsequent elections produced different outcomes despite Amaechi’s political positions and affiliations.
Wike said Amaechi’s claim that election results were written could not explain his failure to secure victory in subsequent elections, including the 2019 and 2023 polls.
“He said we have not won elections, when we were not writing results, which means that in 2011, we wrote results,” he said.
The FCT minister also referred to the 2019 presidential election, when Amaechi served as Director-General of the Muhammadu Buhari campaign, and the 2023 election, when Amaechi supported the presidential bid of Atiku Abubakar.
“In 2019, who was with the President? And he was Minister, and he was the DG of Buhari campaign, is that not correct? He didn’t get 10 per cent of the results. Fine, 2019 result was also written.”
On the 2023 election, Wike said Amaechi supported Atiku despite being a member of the then ruling APC and argued that the outcome further contradicted the former governor’s explanation of electoral defeats.
“In 2023, he did not support Tinubu, he supported Atiku, right? And he was in government also, and he came with battalions of soldiers, is that not correct? Yet, he didn’t win, so the result was also written.”
Wike subsequently declared that he expected the same argument to resurface ahead of the 2027 election.
“So, from 2011, when he became the second time governor, down to now, the result has been written, then let him forget it. The result will always be written; he will not win again,” he said.
The minister urged the Ekpeye people, which he described as one of the major ethnic groups in Rivers State, to carefully consider the records and performance of politicians before making decisions ahead of the elections.
Earlier, the President-General of Uzugbani Ekpeye, Dr Alabo Ihuowo, welcomed Wike to the area and commended his contributions to the development of Ekpeye communities.
“It is with profound joy and humility that I, on behalf of the National Executive Council of Uzugbani Ekpeye, and the entire people of Ekpeye, warmly welcome Your Excellency to Ekpeye land,” Ihuowo said.
He listed projects he said were executed during Wike’s tenure as governor, including the Ahoada campus of Rivers State University, reconstruction of Western Ahoada County High School and Government Girls Secondary School, Ihupogo Road, the 15.2-kilometre Ogodi-Ozochi Road with bridges across the Orashi River, expansion of Ahoada Zonal Hospital, and the provision of water and electricity to Oyobu community.
Ihuowo also credited the Wike administration with providing political representation and appointments for members of the Ekpeye community.
He expressed appreciation to Wike for supporting his wife, Justice Suzette Eberechi Nyesom-Wike, who serves on the Court of Appeal.
“We are delighted that you encourage and support our daughter and sister, your dear wife, My Lord, the Honourable Justice Suzette Eberechi Nyesom-Wike, who is a proud Justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria,” he said.
