2027: Wike Vows to ‘Pay Back’ Amaechi for Choosing Buhari Over Jonathan

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that Rivers State will support President Bola Tinubu ahead of former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 presidential election.

Wike made the declaration while speaking in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State on Saturday.

He used the occasion to revisit the political battle between Amaechi and former President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2015 presidential election.

According to Wike, Amaechi’s decision at the time to support the presidential bid of Muhammadu Buhari against Jonathan should influence how Rivers people approach the 2027 contest.

The FCT minister said Amaechi had previously argued that political brotherhood was based on who stood with the people in difficult times rather than on blood relationship.

Wike said he would now apply the same argument to the coming presidential election.

“In 2014, Amaechi defined who a brother is. Other speakers didn’t want to call his name. Well, I have the capacity to call his name all the time.

“Amaechi defined a brother as one who identifies with us in terms of problems. He said brotherhood is not blood relation. So, we are going to copy that definition for the 2027 presidential election.

“Amaechi said Jonathan never cared for us and that Buhari was our brother because he would identify with us. If that’s the case, he now wants to run for Vice President.

“When he was minister, what did he do for us? Rather, he took the transportation university to Daura in Katsina State, thinking that it would make him president. Did they make him president?

“Now, Asiwaju has identified with us. Our sons are now Vice Chancellors of the University of Port Harcourt and the newly established University of Environment, which Amaechi denied us.

“That means Tinubu is our brother, and we have adopted him as our brother. So, we are going to follow Amaechi’s definition and vote President Tinubu over him and the ADC,” Wike said.

Amaechi served as governor of Rivers State between 2007 and 2015 before becoming Minister of Transportation under Buhari.

Wike, who served as Amaechi’s Chief of Staff during his administration, later succeeded him as governor in 2015.

The ADC selected Amaechi as the running mate to its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in June.

The party said the decision followed consultations with its leaders, coalition partners and stakeholders across the country.

Amaechi had earlier contested the ADC presidential primary against Atiku but finished second. Atiku eventually emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.

Wike, a prominent political ally of Tinubu, has repeatedly maintained that Rivers will back the president in 2027.

He has also questioned Amaechi’s ability to deliver the state for the ADC ticket, pointing to the former governor’s role in Buhari’s 2015 campaign.

In August, Wike argued that Amaechi could not secure 25 per cent of the presidential vote for Buhari in Rivers despite serving as governor and later as a minister.

“Chibuike Amaechi running as vice-presidential candidate is not a plus to Amaechi. He was governor and could not deliver for Buhari. He was a Grade A minister and still could not secure 25 per cent for Buhari in Rivers State,” Wike said.

Wike also criticised Amaechi over his role in the political events that preceded the defeat of Jonathan in 2015.

“He publicly said he was among those who removed Jonathan. He did not want a South-South president to complete his tenure. Given that history, it will be difficult to sell his candidature to Rivers people,” Wike added.

The FCT minister has now turned that history into a central part of his argument against Amaechi ahead of the next presidential election.

He said the people of Rivers State should judge political leaders based on what they have done for the state and who they believe is better positioned to advance its interests.

Wike had earlier said he would have advised Amaechi against joining the ADC presidential contest if the former governor had sought his counsel.

He claimed the structure of the opposition party’s leadership made it unlikely that Amaechi would emerge as its presidential candidate.

Wike described the arrangement at the time as an “Atiku’s set-up 100 per cent.”

Amaechi later rejected the outcome of the ADC primary, alleging that the process was not transparent.

Despite his objections, Atiku was declared the winner and subsequently selected Amaechi as his running mate.

The ADC has since submitted the names of both candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2027 election.