ABUJA, Nigeria — Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has poured scorn on the presidential ambitions of his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, saying the former minister of transportation stands no chance in 2027.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Wike said Amaechi himself knew he would not clinch the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential ticket.
“He knows he won’t get the ticket,” Wike said.
“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 (Amaechi’s bid) is dead on arrival.”
On Saturday, August 9, 2025, Amaechi declared that he would defeat President Bola Tinubu if given the ADC ticket.
The former Rivers governor vowed to tackle corruption within a month and pledged to replace the country’s principle of “indigeneship” with “citizenship.”
“If I do not end corruption in Nigeria within one month, I will tender my resignation,” Amaechi had said.
Amaechi finished second to Tinubu in the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary, after serving eight years as Rivers State governor (2007–2015) and later as transportation minister.
Wike, who succeeded him as Rivers governor, questioned Amaechi’s credibility on governance and the rule of law, claiming his record undermined his anti-corruption stance.
