Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has alleged that former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, made a major political error by participating in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary, insisting that the contest was structured from the outset to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Wike made the remarks during his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Monday, where he criticised the conduct of the ADC primary and suggested that Amaechi’s defeat was inevitable given the political forces behind the opposition coalition.
The former Rivers governor, who once served as Chief of Staff under Amaechi during his administration in Rivers State, said he was not surprised by the outcome of the primary election and would have advised Amaechi against entering the race had he sought his counsel.
“Amaechi is my brother. I served as Chief of Staff in his government. When I saw that he was running with them, I knew what would happen. If he had called me, I would have said, ‘Don’t go there.’ It was very clear he would not get transparency or due process,” Wike stated.
The FCT minister argued that the composition of the ADC leadership and the political interests surrounding the party made it impossible for any aspirant other than Atiku to emerge as the presidential candidate.
According to him, the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as chairman of the party should have signalled to experienced politicians that the process would not be an open contest.
“When I saw the setup in ADC and saw David Mark there, I laughed. When you have worked with these people, you know who is who and what they are capable of doing. That setup was Atiku’s setup 100 per cent,” Wike said.
He maintained that seasoned political actors ought to have recognised the signs and avoided what he described as a carefully orchestrated political arrangement.
READ ALSO: Wike questions Peter Obi’s leadership capacity, Says Nigeria needs resilient leaders
“You cannot set a trap for me. We know ourselves as politicians. Who told you that kind of structure would give you transparency? Who told you that kind of structure would give you free and fair elections?” he asked.
Wike further suggested that Amaechi’s decision to join the ADC contest may have been influenced by growing criticism of the current administration and the perception that public dissatisfaction could translate into political advantage.
According to him, opposition figures used public frustration to attract prominent politicians into the coalition and enhance its credibility.
“I think my brother made a mistake. He was in too much of a hurry. He was carried away by people shouting that this government is not doing well. They used that to lure people in and give themselves credibility,” Wike said.
The minister also revisited the 2022 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary, renewing his criticism of David Mark’s role in the process that eventually produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.