By Adesakin Adefemi
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said the leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress made it clear from the outset that former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi would not get a fair shot at the party’s 2027 presidential ticket.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike said he knew Amaechi’s bid for the ADC nomination was doomed from the moment he saw the composition of the party’s leadership. He described the arrangement as “Atiku’s set-up 100 per cent.”
“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 minister argued that the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as chairman of the ADC signalled that the process would favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Wike said he recognised the pattern from his experience working with the political actors involved.
“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,” he stated.
Wike said Amaechi misread the political environment and allowed growing criticism of the Tinubu administration to influence his decision to join the contest. He said critics used the mood to lure people in and give themselves credibility.
The minister also revived grievances from the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2022 presidential primary. He accused David Mark of failing to ensure a level playing field in the contest that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
Wike’s remarks come days after Amaechi rejected the outcome of the ADC presidential primary. Amaechi described the exercise as “concocted” and alleged that many party members were prevented from voting.
Despite the objections, the ADC declared Atiku winner of the primary and its presidential candidate for the 2027 election. The party said Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes, while Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.
