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 securing 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 presidential nomination was doomed from the moment he saw the composition of the party’s leadership, describing the arrangement as “Atiku’s set-up 100 per cent.”
Channels TV reports that according to the FCT minister, he would have advised his former political ally against entering the race if Amaechi 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 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.
“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 said Amaechi misread the political environment and allowed growing criticism of the Tinubu administration to influence his decision to join the contest.
“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.
The minister also revived grievances from the Peoples Democratic Party’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 presidential candidate.
Wike’s remarks come days after Amaechi rejected the outcome of the ADC presidential primary, describing the exercise 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 declaration of the results, Amaechi claimed that many party members were prevented from voting, arguing that such practices undermined the principles upon which the ADC was founded.
Despite the objections, the party declared Atiku winner of the primary and its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
According to the ADC, 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.
