THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, made a costly political mistake by contesting the 2027 presidential primary on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
News Points Nigeria reports that speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike said he foresaw the outcome of the ADC presidential contest from the beginning and would have advised Amaechi against participating had the former governor sought his opinion.
Wike, who served as Chief of Staff during Amaechi’s administration in Rivers State, argued that the structure and leadership composition of the ADC made it obvious that the presidential primary would not guarantee transparency, fairness, or due process.
According to him, the arrangement within the party appeared designed from the outset to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who eventually emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.
“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.
The FCT minister maintained that the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as chairman of the party should have signalled to observers that the contest was unlikely to be open and competitive.
“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,” Wike stated.
“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 further accused David Mark of failing to ensure a level playing field during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary in 2022, where both he and Atiku contested for the party’s ticket.
The minister’s remarks came in the wake of the ADC presidential primary held last Monday ahead of the 2027 general election.
Following the exercise, Amaechi openly rejected the outcome, describing the results as “concocted” and alleging that the process failed to meet the standards of transparency and fairness promised by the party.
In a post on his X handle on Tuesday, ahead of the official announcement of the results, the former Rivers governor claimed that several party members were denied the opportunity to vote, arguing that such practices undermined the democratic principles upon which the ADC was founded.
Despite the objections raised by Amaechi, the ADC proceeded to declare Atiku Abubakar the winner of the presidential primary and the party’s flag bearer for the 2027 election.
According to the party, Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes, while businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.
Meanwhile, Atiku has commenced efforts to heal divisions within the party following the keenly contested primary.
The former vice president has reportedly held separate meetings with Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen as part of ongoing reconciliation moves aimed at uniting party members and strengthening the ADC ahead of the 2027 general election.