.
.
By 247ureports.com
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has warned that Rotimi Amaechi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, will struggle to campaign in Rivers State if he continues what Wike called attacks on President Bola Tinubu and his supporters, and has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sanction him.
The Warning
Wike spoke to journalists in Abuja on Friday after a meeting with the chairmen of the six FCT area councils and heads of security agencies. He was reacting to remarks attributed to Amaechi that only thieves and mad people would vote for Tinubu. “If he continues along this line, it will be difficult for him to campaign in Rivers. We will make it difficult for him,” Wike said, according to multiple reports. He added: “We will not take that. If security agencies and INEC can fold their hands, that’s their business, but we will not allow it.”
Wike said he and other Nigerians had watched the remarks on television, including a claim that Edo people would be mad if they voted for Tinubu. “You cannot sit down, call voters madmen and thieves, and expect to walk away free,” he said. He questioned why Amaechi’s comments were aired, and said that a vice-presidential candidate should not tell voters that only thieves and mad people will support the president. The wording of the quotes varies slightly across outlets, and 247ureports.com has used the lines carried most consistently.
The Call on INEC
Wike said many Nigerians had asked INEC to sanction political parties and candidates who incite the public or avoid issue-based campaigning, and said he had not heard that the commission had drawn Amaechi’s attention to his remarks. “Up till now, I have not heard that INEC has been able to call the attention of Amaechi,” he said, urging the commission to enforce electoral rules.
The Counter-Attack
Wike also went after Amaechi’s record as Rivers governor, challenging him to account for a planned $39 million cassava flour mill, a $10 million fumigation contract with a Cuban company, the ₦68 billion Port Harcourt monorail and the $308 million sale of a gas turbine. He alleged that Amaechi was indicted by a judicial panel of inquiry and lost his challenge up to the Supreme Court. These are Wike’s allegations, and 247ureports.com has not independently verified each figure. Wike also questioned Amaechi’s mental stability and called him a “known thief” in strong language, saying “a lunatic cannot preside over the affairs of this country.”
Amaechi’s Remarks
The comments Wike was responding to were reportedly made in Edo State, where Amaechi is said to have told voters that only thieves and mad people would vote for Tinubu. Amaechi was also reported this week to have blamed Tinubu’s economic policies for his mother’s death. 247ureports.com has not located a response from Amaechi or the ADC to Wike’s latest remarks.
Why It Matters
The exchange takes an old Rivers feud into the 2027 campaign. Amaechi and Wike have been rivals for years, and both sit at the centre of Rivers politics, where Wike has promised to resign as FCT Minister if Tinubu loses the state and the FCT. Wike’s statement that “we will make it difficult” for Amaechi to campaign has drawn attention because campaign-season threats have been a concern for civil society. Amnesty International Nigeria recently criticised an APC chairman’s “AK-47” threat in Edo State and called on the police and the DSS to act against politicians who threaten violence. Wike did not specify what form the resistance would take, and his comments do not by themselves amount to a call for violence. The Electoral Act and INEC rules protect the right of all parties to campaign freely.
247ureports.com will update this story if Amaechi, the ADC, INEC or security agencies respond.
