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Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi made a mistake contesting the 2027 presidential primary on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has said.
Wike claimed that the party’s structure was designed to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking during his media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike said he would have advised Amaechi against joining the race if the former governor had 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 said.
The FCT minister argued that the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as ADC chairman signalled a predetermined outcome.
“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 set-up was Atiku’s set-up 100 per cent.
“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 said.
Wike suggested that Amaechi was influenced by growing criticism of the Tinubu administration.
“I think my brother made a mistake. He was too much in 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,” he added.
Amaechi had rejected the ADC presidential primary result, describing it as “concocted” and alleging that many party members were prevented from voting.
Despite his objections, the ADC declared Atiku the winner with 1,846,370 votes, defeating Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes. Businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen finished third with 177,120 votes.
Wike also revived grievances from the PDP’s 2022 presidential primary, accusing David Mark of failing to ensure a level playing field in the contest that produced Atiku as the party’s candidate.
