Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has dismissed the chances of former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi contesting successfully in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Wike argued that Nigerians would not support Amaechi’s ambition. “He (Amaechi) knows he won’t get the ticket. I read that he said he knows the weaknesses of the president, so he knows how to defeat him, but he also knew the weaknesses of the president in 2022 when the president defeated him mercilessly in the primary,” Wike said. “Nigerians know the last person they will give a ticket to because they know it (Amaechi’s bid) is dead on arrival.”
Amaechi, who finished second in the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary won by then-Lagos governor Bola Tinubu, defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2025 after leaving the APC. He is currently seeking the ADC’s ticket to challenge President Tinubu in 2027.
But Wike, who also governed Rivers State from 2015 to 2023 after succeeding Amaechi, said his predecessor would neither clinch the ADC nomination nor persuade Nigerians of his credibility. The minister accused Amaechi of lacking commitment to good governance and respect for institutions when he was in power.
Wike stated: “Nigerians know the last person they will give a ticket to… because they know it is dead on arrival.”
Amaechi served as governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 before joining the APC-led federal government. Since leaving office, his relationship with Wike has remained hostile, fueling one of Nigeria’s most enduring political rivalries.
Although a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wike currently serves in President Tinubu’s cabinet as the only opposition figure, a position that has often exposed him to accusations of anti-party activities and widening internal rifts within the PDP.
