Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has ridiculed former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi’s renewed presidential ambition, declaring that his former ally-turned-rival is “angry” and driven by frustration after being out of power.
Speaking at the commissioning of Aguma Palace Road and New Market Road in Abuja’s Gwagwalada Area Council on Friday, July 4, Wike dismissed Amaechi’s bid to contest in 2027 under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as both opportunistic and unconvincing.
“Because you have left office, you are angry. You said Nigerians are angry. You want to come back to power; you won’t come back,” Wike said.
Wike’s outburst followed Amaechi’s comments a day earlier on Politics Today where the former Rivers State governor criticised President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and expressed readiness to contest again for the presidency, this time under the opposition ADC.
Amaechi promised to serve for only one term and claimed the Tinubu administration had underperformed, even in comparison to Muhammadu Buhari’s.
However, Wike, once Amaechi’s political successor in Rivers State, was unsparing in his response.
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“You never made angry Nigerians happy, but Tinubu stayed in office for six months and you started saying Nigerians are angry,” he said, jabbing at Amaechi’s sudden concern for citizens.
He questioned the rationale behind forming a coalition so early in Tinubu’s tenure, accusing Amaechi and his allies of political hypocrisy and ineffectiveness.
“They said the coalition has started… When will you stop deceiving Nigerians?” Wike asked. “Somebody came into office six months then you started the coalition, but you had the opportunity to be Minister of Transportation for eight years. What did you do?”
Wike, now a prominent figure in President Tinubu’s cabinet despite being a PDP member, also boasted about defeating Amaechi’s political camp in Rivers State.
“I defeated Amaechi’s party in the last two presidential elections in Rivers State,” he said.
Though the two men once belonged to the same political camp, their falling out has become one of Nigeria’s most enduring rivalries.
Wike’s latest remarks signal that as 2027 approaches, personal battles will again mix with national politics in what is shaping up to be a bitter power contest.