Wike Mocks Amaechi’s 2027 Ambition, Says ADC Ticket Out of Reach

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims by his predecessor in Rivers politics, Chibuike Amaechi, that he could defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, had recently boasted in an interview that beating Tinubu would be “too easy” if he emerged as the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He insisted that he already knows the president’s weaknesses and the strategy to unseat him.

Nyesome Wike reacting in an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, ridiculed the remarks. According to him, Amaechi is well aware that the ADC will not hand him its ticket, and his confidence is misplaced. “Amaechi knows he will not get the ticket of the ADC,” Wike said. “He claims to know the weakness of the president, but he knew it in 2022 when the president defeated him mercilessly at the APC primaries.”

In the ruling All Progressives Congress primary held at Eagle Square in 2022, Amaechi finished a distant second to Tinubu, who secured a decisive victory and went on to become president.

Meanwhile, some political analysts believe the 2027 contest could be open, given the harsh economic climate and growing public discontent. They argue that a strong candidate, Amaechi or otherwise might indeed pose a challenge to Tinubu if conditions remain unchanged.

Still, for Wike, Amaechi’s chances remain unrealistic. He maintained that the former Rivers governor’s defeat in 2022 already tells the story of what would happen in 2027, regardless of party platform.