Wike: Amaechi Lacks Electoral Value, Tinubu Only Candidate Who Can Win Rivers
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has described former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi as a political liability, insisting he lacks the electoral strength to deliver votes in Rivers State or the South-South region.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja, Wike declared that President Bola Tinubu is the only presidential candidate capable of winning Rivers State in the 2027 general election.
The FCT Minister dismissed Amaechi’s emergence as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate as being unrelated to electoral strength, arguing that the former Rivers governor had repeatedly failed to deliver votes for the presidential candidates he supported.
Wike cited the 2015, 2019 and 2023 presidential elections, claiming Amaechi was unable to secure significant electoral support in Rivers State despite occupying key political positions.
He also accused Amaechi of political inconsistency, alleging that the former governor criticised the ADC’s primary process before eventually accepting its outcome.
Wike further argued that Amaechi’s role in opposing former President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 re-election bid remains a political burden in the South-South, insisting the region has not forgotten the events that led to Jonathan’s defeat.
Highlighting what he described as increased federal attention to Rivers State under the Tinubu administration, Wike pointed to infrastructure projects, including the Bonny Road, as evidence of the state’s growing relevance.
The former Rivers governor also disclosed that a broad political coalition involving members of the PDP, APC, Labour Party, Action Alliance and other groups had agreed to work together in Rivers State while supporting President Tinubu’s re-election.
According to Wike, the coalition is expanding across the state and is focused on promoting development rather than advancing the interests of any single political party.
