Dare Babalola
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, made a wrong political move by contesting the 2027 presidential primary on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Wike made the remark during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, stating that he would have advised Amaechi against entering the race under the ADC if he had been consulted.
The former Rivers governor, who once served as Chief of Staff to Amaechi, argued that the structure and leadership composition of the ADC were clear indications that the party would not offer a transparent or fair presidential primary.
According to him, the arrangement within the party was already skewed in favour of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“Amaechi is my brother. I served as Chief of Staff in his government. When I saw that he was running with them, I knew what would happen. If he had called me, I would have said, ‘Don’t go there.’ It was very clear he would not get transparency or due process,” Wike said.
He further alleged that the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as party chairman confirmed what he described as a predetermined political structure.
“When I saw the setup in ADC and saw David Mark there, I laughed. When you have worked with these people, you know who is who and what they are capable of doing. That set-up was Atiku’s set-up 100 per cent.
“You cannot set a trap for me. We know ourselves as politicians. Who told you that kind of structure would give you transparency? Who told you that kind of structure would give you free and fair elections?
“I think my brother made a mistake. He was too much in a hurry. He was carried away by people shouting that this government is not doing well. They used that to lure people in and give themselves credibility,” he added.
Wike also accused David Mark of failing to ensure fairness during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary in 2022, where both he and Atiku Abubakar contested.
His comments followed the ADC presidential primary held last Monday ahead of the 2027 general election, which Amaechi reportedly rejected, describing the outcome as “concocted” and lacking transparency.
Amaechi had earlier alleged on his X handle that some delegates were denied voting rights, insisting the process undermined the party’s internal democracy.
Despite his objections, the ADC announced Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election after he reportedly polled 1,846,370 votes, defeating Amaechi, who scored 504,117 votes, while businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.
Meanwhile, Atiku has met separately with Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen as part of efforts to reconcile aggrieved stakeholders and strengthen unity within the party after the primary.
