Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike criticized African Democratic Congress vice presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi during a media engagement in Abuja, accusing the former Rivers State governor of undermining former President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 re-election bid.
Wike told journalists that the South-South region has not forgotten Amaechi’s public stance against Jonathan’s second-term campaign. He referenced Amaechi’s televised declaration to “kick him out” regarding the then-president, who hails from the South-South.
“A South-South person wants to run for his second term and you are proud to kick him out. Then the South-South should be happy for you to be vice president?” Wike said. “You kicked your own brother out and then you want people to kick you in.”
The minister urged Rivers State voters to reject Amaechi, describing him as a disgrace to the state. Wike further alleged that during Amaechi’s tenure as a federal minister, no significant development projects were delivered to Rivers State.
The remarks underscore lingering political tensions between the two former Rivers State governors, who have occupied opposing sides of Nigeria’s political divide since the 2015 transition. Amaechi, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress before defecting to the ADC for the presidential ticket, served as transportation minister under President Muhammadu Buhari. Wike, a prominent Peoples Democratic Party figure, was appointed FCT minister by President Bola Tinubu in 2023.
The exchange reflects broader regional calculations in Nigerian politics, where zoning and ethnic balancing remain central to national ticket configurations.
