Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, made a mistake by contesting the 2027 presidential primary on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike said he foresaw the outcome of the primary and would have advised Amaechi against participating if he had sought his counsel.
Wike, who served as Chief of Staff during Amaechi’s administration as governor of Rivers State, argued that the structure and leadership of the ADC made it unlikely that the presidential primary would be conducted in a transparent and fair manner.
According to him, the party’s internal arrangement appeared designed to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“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 further claimed that the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as the party’s national 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 they are and what they are capable of doing. That setup was Atiku’s setup 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?
“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.
Wike also accused David Mark of failing to provide a level playing field during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary in 2022, in which both he and Atiku participated.
His remarks come days after the ADC presidential primary held ahead of the 2027 general election.
Amaechi had rejected the outcome of the exercise, describing the results as “concocted” and alleging that the process fell short of the transparency and fairness promised by the party.
In a post on his X account ahead of the official announcement of the results, the former Rivers governor claimed that many party members were denied the opportunity to vote, arguing that such practices undermined the democratic principles on which the ADC was founded.
Despite the objections, the party declared Atiku Abubakar winner of the primary and its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
According to the official results, Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes, while businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.
Meanwhile, Atiku has reportedly held separate meetings with Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen as part of efforts to reconcile aggrieved members and strengthen unity within the party following the primary.
