Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed the 2027 presidential ambition of his predecessor and political rival, Rotimi Amaechi, describing it as “dead on arrival.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Wike insisted that Amaechi, who recently defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to pursue its presidential ticket, stands no chance of clinching the party’s nomination, let alone winning the general election.
“He knows he won’t get the ticket. He said he knows the president’s weaknesses and how to defeat him, but he also knew the president’s weaknesses in 2022 when the president defeated him mercilessly in the primary,” Wike said.
Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation and runner-up in the 2022 APC presidential primary won by President Bola Tinubu, formally joined the ADC last month amid talks of an emerging opposition coalition. But Wike, who governed Rivers State after Amaechi’s eight-year tenure, dismissed the move as futile.
“Nigerians know the last person they will give a ticket to because they know it (Amaechi’s bid) is dead on arrival,” he declared.
Wike also took a swipe at Amaechi’s leadership record, questioning his credibility to fight corruption or uphold good governance. He accused the former governor of undermining the judiciary and disregarding the rule of law during his tenure in Rivers State.
Wike Defends Tinubu’s Accessibility
Turning to criticisms of President Bola Tinubu, Wike defended the administration against claims that it is unapproachable, stressing that government functions through delegated authority.
“When you say Mr. President is unapproachable, and the government is unapproachable, what do you call government?” he asked. “Must everybody reach Mr. President? Is that the way the government runs?”
The minister was responding to former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, who had accused Tinubu of running a distant and inaccessible administration.
According to Wike, citizens should approach ministers and aides appointed to oversee specific sectors rather than expect direct access to the president. “If everybody in this country refuses to reach out to ministers or special advisers and just wants to see Mr. President, how many people can he attend to at a time?” he argued.
Wike Links Babachir Lawal’s Criticism to VP Snub
Wike further alleged that Babachir Lawal’s discontent with Tinubu stems from personal grievances, particularly his failure to be chosen as vice-presidential candidate in 2023.
“When the President chose his vice-presidential candidate, I was one of those Babachir Lawal visited. He came to my house in Port Harcourt. What was his anger? His anger was that he thought the President would have chosen him as the vice-presidential candidate. Having not done that, he let loose,” Wike revealed.
He described Lawal’s public criticisms as “transparent and borne of bitterness,” adding that any legitimate grievances should be addressed privately with the president rather than aired in the media.
Wike Dismisses ADC as “No Coalition”
On the broader political realignment, Wike dismissed claims that the ADC represents a credible opposition coalition, arguing that it is merely a collection of defectors without real national appeal.
“There’s no coalition. You can talk about a coalition when CPC, AC, and some PDP members formed another party, which you can call the coalition. This is just people moving from one party to another,” he said.
Citing recent by-election results across 13 states, he argued that the ADC lacks the structure and credibility to challenge the ruling APC or attract significant public support.
“Yes, because they have nothing to show,” Wike said when asked if this was why he advised Nigerians against voting for the party.
Highlighting his own record as Rivers governor, Wike claimed familiarity with many of the key figures in the ADC, insisting that their track records fail to inspire confidence.
“Among the current politicians in the ADC, there is none I have not invited to Rivers State to commission projects when I was governor of the state,” he remarked pointedly.
Would you like me to make this rewrite more in the style of a sharp political analysis (focusing on the rivalry and implications for 2027), or keep it strictly news-reporting style like this version?
