The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as a political liability, insisting that the former Rivers State governor lacks the electoral strength to deliver votes in Rivers State or the South-South region.
Wike made the remarks during a media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, where he questioned Amaechi’s reported emergence as a vice-presidential candidate, arguing that the former minister had failed to demonstrate electoral relevance despite occupying key political positions over the years.
“If you are choosing a Vice Presidential candidate, a running mate, I’m 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,” Wike said.
The FCT minister argued that Amaechi’s electoral record did not justify his selection, noting that he had repeatedly failed to secure significant votes for presidential candidates he supported.
“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 per cent? He was the DG in 2019 when he was a Super Minister; why did he not get 25 per cent? He supported Atiku in 2023; how come he didn’t get 15 per cent?” he asked.
Wike also challenged Amaechi to point to tangible benefits Rivers State and the South-South region gained while he served in the Federal Government, maintaining that his tenure did not translate into meaningful development for the region.
The minister further accused Amaechi of political inconsistency, recalling that he had publicly criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary before later accepting its outcome.
“This was the same man, just one month ago, who said the APC primary is manual, irregularity and corruption,” Wike said.
Questioning Amaechi’s stance, he added:
“How can we talk about removing a government that we are saying there is no election, and then we are in another election? The same man now is benefiting from the corruption, from irregularities of the same system.”
Wike also revisited the political events surrounding the 2015 general election, saying the people of the South-South had not forgotten Amaechi’s role in the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“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?” he asked.
Highlighting what he described as the current administration’s commitment to Rivers State, Wike said the state was receiving unprecedented federal attention under President Bola Tinubu.
“Never in the history of Rivers State, from 1999, of those who claimed to be very close to the President, have we had the type of attention that Rivers State has now,” he said, citing projects such as the Bonny Road as evidence of the Federal Government’s commitment to the state.
The remarks come amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election, with Wike and Amaechi remaining key political rivals in Rivers State. At the time of filing this report, Amaechi had not publicly responded to Wike’s claims.
