The presidential ticket holders of opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) have replied Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, over his recent comments which dismissed as “dead on arrival” the party’s chances of winning Rivers State and the South-South in 2027 on account of its adoption of Rotimi Amaechi as Vice-Presidential (VP) candidate.
Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, said Wike was not telling Nigerians the truth.
Speaking on Symfoni TV, Okonkwo said Wike’s claim that he had repeatedly defeated Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, was not supported by facts, arguing that Amaechi did not contest the Rivers State governorship election against Wike in 2015.
Defending Amaechi’s relevance to the Atiku-Amaechi ticket ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Okonkwo described Wike as a “local champion” for limiting his political assessment of Amaechi.
People&Politics notes that Amaechi was Rivers State governor from 29 October, 2007, to 29 May, 2015, thereafter becoming Minister of Transportation under the President Muhammadu Buhari Federal Government (FG), till 29 May, 2023.
Nyesom Wike was sworn in as Minister of State for Education on 14 July, 2011, and was subsequently appointed as the full Minister of Education on 12 September, 2013 during the President Goodluck Jonathan FG, then resigned in 2014 to run for Governor of Rivers State, which he won and spent two terms in, till 29 May, 2023.
During his monthly Media Chat, Wike, a former Chief of Staff to then-governor Amaechi and who has, for years now, been embroiled in a supremacy battle with his former boss for control of the soul of Rivers State, had poured scorn on Atiku’s chances of winning in Rivers State and the South-South, if his strategy toward that end was anchored on picking Amaechi as VP candidate.
Wike had said: “Amaechi as the running mate to Atiku, I have come to know that it will be difficult for Atiku to be President.
“In all the calculations, if you are choosing a Vice-Presidential candidate, a running mate, I’m sure that the only factor that made him to choose Amaechi may be financial.
“If in terms of bringing votes to support Atiku, he is dead on arrival.”
Wike added: “I was a Minister of State while he was governor and I defeated him very well. He has never won an election since after 2011 when I was the DG of the campaign.
“He was the DG of Buhari in 2015 and Buhari did not get 25 percent; he was the DG in 2019 when he was a Minister and Buhari did not get 25 percent.
“Is he an asset to Rivers and South-South? You must be a former governor that still has followers, you must say when you were a Minister what did you bring to the people of your state?”
But, X-raying the comments, Okonkwo first thumbed down Wike as “a local champion” , saying the Minister is only limited to just Rivers State.
He said: “When Wike is talking about elections, can’t you see he restricts himself to Rivers State? Local champion.”
He questioned how Wike could claim to have defeated Amaechi when the former governor did not contest against him (Wike) in the 2015 Rivers State governorship election or seek any elective political office in the state in 2019.
“When he says ‘I defeated him’, please let me ask Chibuike Amaechi, did he contest for Rivers State governorship election in 2015? Did he contest for any political office in Rivers State in 2019? How did you defeat him?”
Stopping short of calling Wike a liar, Okonkwo said: “So unfortunately what he said was not the reflection of the facts. Chibuike has been very successful all through and as Vice-Presidential presidential candidate,mhe is going to deliver again for his boss, Atiku abubakar, for ADC and for the Nigerian people.”
*PHOTO CAPTION: Wike (l) and Okonkwo.
