Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has hit back at former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over his recent comments about hunger, accusing him of being driven by political ambition rather than hardship.
Speaking during a media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike dismissed Amaechi’s claim made at his 60th birthday event, where the ex-Rivers governor said, “We’re all hungry, all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I am. For us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power. In Nigeria, there are no capitalist ideas among the politicians; it’s about sharing.”
Wike, in a strong rebuttal, said, “We have no time to listen to nonsense in Nigeria. I don’t understand why a man like Amaechi would choose his 60th birthday to lie to Nigerians about being hungry.
“He was Speaker from 1999 to 2007, Governor from 2007 to 2015, and Minister from 2015 to 2023. He never spoke about hunger during those years.”
The FCT Minister accused Amaechi and his allies of reassembling merely to regain lost political power.
“Now they are regrouping. They are only hungry for power. This shows his failure. How can you trivialise the issue of hunger? He joined Atiku and claimed hunger. It is clear he cannot stay out of power. From 1999 to 2023, Amaechi stood before Nigerians and claimed hunger. He was a former governor who couldn’t secure even 25% for Buhari during elections, despite being the campaign DG.”
Wike further said, “Thank God we did not support the PDP; otherwise, he would have taken the glory. He is now in a coalition. I don’t like to talk much. Let them form their team and start from home in Rivers.”
He questioned the intent behind Amaechi’s rhetoric, saying, “Let’s see how he plans to remove the president. Is it a military coup? The term ‘removal’ is synonymous with dictatorship or military coup. Nigerians remember what happened in 2015, and now he claims Nigerians are hungry.”
Wike concluded with a self-assessment:
“I am not a liability; I am an asset. You may dislike me, but I am an asset in ensuring President Tinubu wins a second term.”
Both politicians, known for their long-standing rivalry, served as governors of Rivers State.
Amaechi governed from 2007 to 2015 and later served as Minister under President Buhari. Before that, he was Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007 and chaired the Nigerian Governors’ Forum from 2011 to 2015.
