The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has described former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi as a political liability, insisting that the former Rivers State governor lacks the influence needed to deliver votes in Rivers State and the South-South region.
Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike questioned the rationale behind Amaechi’s emergence as a vice-presidential candidate, suggesting that financial considerations may have played a role in the decision.
“If you are choosing a vice-presidential candidate, a running mate, I’m sure the only factor that has been used to choose Rotimi Amaechi may be financial because the former governor lacks the capacity to deliver votes,” Wike said.
The minister argued that Amaechi had consistently failed to produce strong electoral outcomes despite occupying prominent positions in several presidential campaigns.
“He has never won a presidential election after 2011 when I was the director of the campaign. Never. He was the Director-General of Buhari’s campaign in 2015 when he was governor. Why did he not get 25 per cent?” Wike asked.
He further questioned Amaechi’s performance in the 2019 and 2023 elections, noting that the former minister served as campaign director-general for former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 and later supported former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election.
According to Wike, Amaechi has yet to demonstrate any significant benefits that Rivers State and the South-South region derived from his years in the Federal Government.
READ ALSO: 2027: Atiku Will Struggle To Win With Amaechi As Running Mate — Wike
The FCT minister also accused Amaechi of inconsistency, recalling that he had previously criticised the All Progressives Congress primary election process before eventually accepting its outcome.
“This was the same man, just one month ago, who said the APC primary involved irregularities and corruption,” Wike stated.
He also referred to Amaechi’s opposition to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s bid for a second term in 2015, arguing that many people in the South-South region had not forgotten the episode.
Highlighting what he described as the present administration’s commitment to Rivers State, Wike pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Bonny Road project, as evidence of increased federal attention to the state.
“Never in the history of Rivers State, from 1999, have we had the type of attention that Rivers State is receiving now,” he said.