The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has described former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as a “political liability” with no electoral value in Rivers State or the South-South region.
Mr Wike, during a media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, said the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, considered Mr Amaechi as a running mate for financial reasons rather than his voting strength.
“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,” Mr Wike stated.
The minister, who backed his claims with historical election data, said Mr Amaechi failed to secure significant votes in Rivers State across multiple election cycles despite holding several high-profile positions.
“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%?” he said.
“He was the DG in 2019 when he was a super minister; why did he not get 25%? He supported Atiku in 2023; how come he didn’t get 15%?” Mr Wike added.
The minister said a former governor, who is truly a political asset, should be able to retain loyal followers and point to tangible achievements delivered to his state during his tenure in federal office.
He challenged Mr Amaechi to point to the direct benefits his leadership brought to the people of Rivers State and the South-South region.
Mr Wike, who described the former minister as politically inconsistent, noted that Mr Amaechi previously criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries as corrupt and irregular, only to later participate in and benefit from the same system.
The minister stated, “This was the same man, just one month ago, who said the APC primary is manual, (marred by) irregularity and corruption”.
“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,” he said.
The minister said residents of the South-South region would reject Mr Amaechi’s vice-presidential ambition, citing the ex-minister’s opposition to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 re-election bid, as well as alleged role in the removal of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.
Mr Wike said, “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? The electorate in the region would demand accountability for these actions,” he said.
The minister, who compared his administration’s track record with that of his predecessor, said the state has received unprecedented federal attention under the current political dispensation.
“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.
