Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched a fresh attack on his predecessor and political rival, Rotimi Amaechi, declaring that the former Transportation Minister’s bid for the 2027 presidency “won’t even take off”.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Wike dismissed Amaechi’s move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and his rumoured 2027 presidential ambitions, insisting that Nigerians have already rejected him.
According to Wike, Amaechi — who came a distant second to President Bola Tinubu in the 2022 APC primary — has no pathway to victory even within his new party. 
“He says he understands the President’s weaknesses and knows how to defeat him. Was it not the same weaknesses he claimed to know in 2022? Yet, he was mercilessly defeated,” Wike said.
He went further to question Amaechi’s record on rule of law and governance during his time as Rivers State governor, stressing that Nigerians “know the last person they will hand a presidential ticket to”.
The two men, both former governors of Rivers State, were once political allies before their relationship turned sour after Wike succeeded Amaechi in 2015. Since then, they have been locked in a bitter rivalry that has frequently played out in the public space.
While Amaechi recently joined forces with the ADC-led opposition coalition in a bid to challenge President Tinubu in 2027, Wike — now the only PDP member in the APC-led federal cabinet — insists the move is nothing more than a political mirage.
