Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has criticised former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, for contesting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary, describing the decision as a political miscalculation.
Speaking during his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike said the outcome of the party’s primary election was predictable from the outset, insisting that the ADC’s internal structure did not offer the transparency required for a credible contest.
The former Rivers governor, who once served under Amaechi as Chief of Staff, disclosed that he would have advised his former political ally against entering the race had he sought his opinion beforehand.
According to Wike, the composition of the ADC leadership and the political forces behind the party made it obvious that the contest would ultimately 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.
He argued that the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as the party’s chairman reinforced his belief that the primary process had been tilted in favour of a preferred candidate.
“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 maintained that experienced politicians could easily identify the direction of such political arrangements long before the voting process begins.
“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 queried.
The FCT minister further suggested that Amaechi may have been influenced by widespread criticism of the current administration and the enthusiasm of opposition supporters ahead of the 2027 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,” Wike added.
He also revisited the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary of 2022, accusing David Mark of failing to provide a level playing field during the contest in which he and Atiku Abubakar competed for the party’s ticket.
Wike’s comments came days after the ADC conducted its presidential primary election in preparation for the 2027 general election.
Following the exercise, Amaechi openly rejected the outcome, alleging that the process lacked fairness and transparency. The former minister described the results as “concocted” and questioned the credibility of the primary.
In a statement shared on his X account before the official announcement of the results, Amaechi claimed that many party members were denied the opportunity to vote, arguing that such actions contradicted the democratic ideals upon which the party was founded.
Despite the complaints, the ADC declared Atiku Abubakar the winner of the contest and its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Official figures released by the party showed that Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes, comfortably defeating Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes. Businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway to heal divisions within the party following the contentious primary.
Atiku has reportedly held separate meetings with Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen in a bid to reconcile aggrieved stakeholders and strengthen party unity ahead of the next general election.
The developments have continued to generate reactions within political circles, with attention now shifting to how the ADC manages internal disagreements as preparations for the 2027 presidential race gather momentum.
