Amaechi’s VP Bid Can’t Stand After Jonathan’s Ouster in 2015 — Wike

Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has opposed the emergence of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general election.

Speaking during a media chat with selected journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike argued that Amaechi’s political history, particularly his role in the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election, would make it difficult for him to gain the support of the South-South region.

According to the minister, many people in the region have not forgotten Amaechi’s public opposition to Jonathan’s second-term bid despite both men coming from the South-South.

“When Jonathan from the South-South wanted to run for a second term, Amaechi came out on national television and said, ‘Kick him out,’” Wike said.

He questioned how Amaechi could now expect the same region to support his ambition to become vice president.

“You kicked your own brother out and then you want people to kick you in,” he added.

Wike also urged Rivers State residents to reject Amaechi at the next general election, describing the former governor as a disappointment to the state.

He alleged that Amaechi failed to attract meaningful development to Rivers State during his tenure as Minister of Transportation.

The minister also criticised Amaechi’s recent outreach to the Ogoni ethnic nationality, describing it as politically motivated.

According to him, Amaechi denied an Ogoni politician the opportunity to become governor while in power but is now seeking their support because he is in the opposition.

Commenting on reports that former President Goodluck Jonathan’s name had been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, Wike dismissed the claims, saying neither he nor the mainstream PDP leadership was involved.

“I have never heard former President Jonathan say he wants to run for president,” he stated.

Wike reaffirmed his support for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid in 2027, insisting he would campaign for the President’s re-election.

While acknowledging that the PDP would eventually present a presidential candidate, he maintained that the party must first resolve its internal crisis before it could become competitive again.

He also insisted that power should remain in the South after the completion of Tinubu’s tenure, describing it as the region’s turn under Nigeria’s power-sharing arrangement.