ABUJA, Nigeria — Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has criticised former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi over his recent comments about hunger, accusing him of exploiting a national issue for political purposes.
Amaechi, who served as minister of transportation under President Muhammadu Buhari and previously as Rivers State governor and speaker of the house of assembly, had remarked during his 60th birthday celebration that he is “hungry” and that the opposition has the capacity to remove President Bola Tinubu from office in the 2027 elections.
“We’re all hungry, all of us are,” Amaechi said.
“If you’re not hungry, I’m. For us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power.”
Responding during a media briefing on Monday, June 2, 2025, Wike dismissed the comments as disingenuous, saying they trivialise the real struggles Nigerians are facing.
“I don’t know why a man would choose his 60th birthday to tell lies. It is unfortunate,” Wike said.
“Your 60th birthday — that people are celebrating you — and you started telling lies to Nigerians that you are hungry.”
He argued that after holding power for over two decades, including top political positions at both state and federal levels, Amaechi’s statement could not be taken at face value.
“He spent eight years as speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, eight years as governor, and then became a super minister of transportation. He did not talk about hunger. Two years after he left office, he is talking about hunger,” Wike added.
“He is just hungry for power. That is the hunger. How do you insult Nigerians and trivialise poverty and hunger? You are insulting Nigerians. It is just that you have stayed out of power — that is the hunger.”
Wike and Amaechi, both prominent figures in Rivers State politics, have had a longstanding rivalry.
Wike served as Amaechi’s Chief of Staff from 2007 to 2011 during the latter’s tenure as governor, before succeeding him in 2015.
Amaechi has largely stayed out of frontline politics since he lost the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary in 2022.
