FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has launched a fresh attack on former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi. The Wike Amaechi feud flared up on Friday in Abuja, after Amaechi reportedly insulted supporters of President Bola Tinubu. Wike hit back hard and vowed to resist Amaechi’s presidential ambition. Sojworldnews summarises what both men said and what remains unproven.
Wike spoke to journalists after a meeting with FCT area council chairmen. He reacted to remarks Amaechi reportedly made in Edo State on Thursday. According to the reports, Amaechi said only thieves and mad people would vote for Tinubu. Amaechi is a prominent figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He governed Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 and later served as transport minister.
Wike took the remark personally. “So, I’m a thief?” he asked. Then he turned the question on Amaechi. “Who can be a bigger thief than Amaechi?” he said. He also added a jibe about Amaechi’s mental state, saying, “Ask him who has been his psychiatric doctor.”
The minister went further and declared that Amaechi cannot become president. In his words, a lunatic cannot preside over the affairs of the country. Moreover, he said a known thief cannot hold the office either. He also warned that Amaechi would face resistance at home if he keeps insulting Tinubu’s supporters. “We will make it difficult for him,” Wike said.
Wike’s language stayed blunt throughout. He called politicians like Amaechi “bloody thieves” and “lunatics,” according to Tribune. Furthermore, he said the country will never allow them near the presidency. Wike insisted that he only answered an insult to the president’s supporters.
Wike then listed several allegations against the former governor. He cited a ₦68 billion monorail project in Port Harcourt, which he said Amaechi abandoned. In addition, he questioned how officials handled the sale of state gas turbines. He put the proceeds at $308 million. The Sun reported that he also raised a $39 million cassava mill and a $10 million fumigation deal.
Furthermore, Wike claimed that a judicial panel of inquiry indicted Amaechi. He said Amaechi lost his appeal all the way to the Supreme Court. He challenged Amaechi to account for the money spent on those projects. However, these are Wike’s claims, and Sojworldnews could not independently verify them.
The minister also criticised the media and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He said they fail to challenge inflammatory political statements as the 2027 campaign nears. Specifically, he complained that television stations let politicians call the president and voters thieves. As a result, he argued, such talk goes unchecked.
The exchange shows how personal the road to 2027 has become. Wike and Amaechi were once close allies in Rivers politics. Today they stand on opposite sides of the national divide. Wike backs the president, while Amaechi sits with the opposition coalition.
Wike also used the same briefing to address a labour dispute in the capital. The Sun reported that he accused the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) of political motives. He said the union declared an indefinite strike in the FCT for those reasons. Leadership added that he ordered “no work, no pay” for striking FCT workers.
Rivers State remains a key political battleground. Both men come from the state, so Wike’s threat carries weight. Moreover, the dispute highlights a wider trend, where insults now crowd out debate on policy. Voters, however, will still expect both camps to explain how they would run the country.
Sojworldnews did not find a response from Amaechi at the time of writing. Therefore, the claims and counterclaims remain unresolved. We will update this story as soon as Amaechi or his aides reply.
Sources: Leadership, Tribune, The Sun, Osun Defender, NaijaNews, Parrot Nigeria.
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