2027: ADC fires back as Wike dismisses Amaechi’s Rivers influence

The African Democratic Congress has dismissed claims by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that Rivers State is already secured for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election, accusing the former Rivers State governor of displaying anxiety over the growing strength of the opposition.

Wike had, during his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, dismissed the political relevance of former Rivers State Governor and ADC vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, insisting that the state would deliver Tinubu in the next presidential election.

Wike said Rivers State remained firmly aligned with Tinubu and challenged those counting on the state for opposition votes to reconsider their calculations.

He described Amaechi as lacking the electoral strength to determine the outcome of elections in Rivers, arguing that the former governor had failed to deliver significant votes in previous presidential contests despite holding strategic positions.

He argued that Amaechi’s influence had steadily diminished over the years and insisted that the state’s political structure remained firmly under his control and committed to Tinubu’s re-election bid.

The minister also revisited the political events that led to the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 election, accusing Amaechi of playing a central role in Jonathan’s ouster while later failing to sustain his own political strength in Rivers State.

According to Wike, Rivers would again line up behind Tinubu in 2027.

“If anybody is counting Rivers, go now and cancel it. The only person that can count Rivers is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“I am not talking because I want to talk; I am talking as a political realist, because I know my people,” he said.

Wike also questioned the decision of the ADC to join Amaechi with its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, suggesting that his nomination could have been more financial, rather than a reflection of voting strength.

“I am 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.

“He has never won a presidential election after 2011 when I was the Director of Campaign. He was the Director-General of Buhari in 2015 when he was governor; why did he not get 25%?

“He was the DG in 2019 when he was a super minister; why did he not get 25%? He supported Atiku in 2023; how come he didn’t get 15%?” he queried.

Speaking on the political crisis in the state, Wike said the development ended Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s second-term ambition.

He insisted that Fubara’s political misfortune was self-inflicted, insisting that the governor ignored repeated advice not to dismantle the political structure that produced him.

According to him, associates who had initially opposed Fubara’s emergence as governor later infiltrated his camp and encouraged him to confront his political benefactors.

“Those who didn’t want you to be governor now became your friends. Obviously, they will destroy you, thinking that coming closer to you is to fight us.

“At the end of the fight, I have not lost anything. What have I lost? Nothing. But you have lost. You intended to go for a second term, is it not correct? And you are not going,” Wike said.

The minister maintained that he still had affection for Fubara despite their prolonged political feud.

“If I don’t love him, why would we support him?” he said.

Wike disclosed that although efforts were made to reconcile both camps, political considerations eventually frustrated the process.

“There was a time we all thought, we all agreed, and said, ‘Look, can we allow bygones to be bygones?’ But something fundamental came up in politics.

“They said, ‘Look, if you allow this now, there are those who are here who want to see that we are no longer politically relevant,’” he said.

He also alleged that external interests viewed Rivers State as “a cash cow” and encouraged Fubara to resist his political camp.

“There are external forces who want to hijack Rivers State. You don’t allow them to hijack Rivers State. Some see Rivers State as a cash cow,” he said.

The crisis between both men began shortly after Fubara assumed office in 2023 and culminated in a six-month state of emergency declared by the President in 2025.

Fubara later defected to the All Progressives Congress, withdrew from the 2026 governorship race, and subsequently rejoined Wike’s political family in Rivers State, the Rainbow Coalition.

On the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party, Wike launched a fresh attack on PDP Board of Trustees member, Chief Bode George.

He alleged that George occupied a residence in Abuja’s Maitama District funded with Rivers State Government funds and challenged the elder statesman to deny the allegation.

“I want to tell you something about Bode George. When they talk about corruption, ask him: the house he is living in, Maitama, is it not Rivers State government money? People like you are the fathers of corruption,” Wike said.

He criticised George for repeatedly accusing the judiciary of corruption whenever court judgments went against him.

“Each time you lose a case, the judiciary is corrupt. Until when you win, that’s only when the judiciary is not corrupt,” he added.

George had recently petitioned the National Judicial Council over the July 17 judgment of the Federal High Court dismissing a suit filed by the Adolphus Wabara-led faction of the PDP BoT and awarding N140m costs against the plaintiffs.

The minister insisted that conflicting court judgments did not automatically imply corruption, urging politicians to read and understand court decisions instead of attacking judges.

Wike also criticised the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, over his repeated criticism of the Tinubu administration.

He argued that religious leaders should remain balanced in their interventions and avoid creating the impression of political partisanship.

“I am not against comments about government. Government needs criticism. But if your comments are always nothing positive, then government must worry about you.

“Government will begin to think that you are merely criticising because you’re opposed to the government,” he said.

The minister further claimed that many religious leaders openly took political positions during the 2023 general election.

“Don’t tell me non-partisans. We know ourselves in this country. We know who belongs to where,” he stated.

Speaking on security, Wike disclosed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration was considering banning commercial motorcycles and tricycles from parts of the Abuja city centre following intelligence reports linking them to criminal activities.