FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has dismissed the 2027 presidential ambition of his predecessor and political rival, Rotimi Amaechi, saying it is “dead on arrival.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday, monitored by News Point Nigeria, Wike said Nigerians would not give the former transportation minister a chance, either within his party or in the general elections.
Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State and one-time APC presidential aspirant, defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2025 after losing to President Bola Tinubu in the ruling party’s 2022 presidential primaries. He is now seeking the ADC’s ticket for the 2027 general elections.
But Wike was emphatic that Amaechi had no realistic path to victory.
“He knows he won’t get the ticket. I read that he said he knows the weaknesses of the president, so he knows how to defeat him. But he also knew the weaknesses of the president in 2022 when the president defeated him mercilessly in the primary. Nigerians know the last person they will give a ticket to because they know it is dead on arrival,” Wike said.
The FCT minister further accused Amaechi of lacking credibility on issues of governance and corruption, claiming that during his time as Rivers governor (2007–2015), he had no respect for the judiciary and the rule of law.
Wike and Amaechi, both former governors of oil-rich Rivers State, have long had a strained relationship marked by political battles and accusations. Wike succeeded Amaechi in 2015 and governed for eight years under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Now serving as the only opposition figure in President Tinubu’s cabinet, Wike has often been accused of anti-party activities within the PDP. Still, he used the TV appearance to defend Tinubu against critics who described his government as unapproachable.
“When you say Mr President is unapproachable, and the government is unapproachable, what do you call government? I am the Minister in charge of the FCT, Mr Z is a Minister of Interior, Mrs O is in charge of Trade and Investment. Must everybody reach Mr President directly? Is that the way government runs?” he asked.
Wike stressed that governance is a collective effort and that Nigerians should engage ministers and presidential advisers rather than expect direct contact with Tinubu.
“If everybody in this country refuses to reach out to ministers or advisers and just wants to see Mr President, how many people can he attend to at a time? I am a minister, if you have a problem regarding the activities in the FCT, have you tried to reach out to me?”
He insisted that the government is approachable and dismissed criticisms from Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who had recently accused Tinubu of being inaccessible.
With political temperatures gradually rising ahead of the 2027 elections, Wike’s comments add fuel to the long-running rivalry between two of Rivers State’s most influential politicians.
