Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has launched a scathing attack on former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over his recent comments on hunger in Nigeria, accusing him of being more interested in power than the welfare of the people.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike dismissed Amaechi’s remarks—made during his 60th birthday celebration—as politically motivated and misleading.
Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor and long-standing political rival of Wike, had stated: “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 sharply rebuked the statement, saying, “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. Now they are regrouping. They are only hungry for power. This shows his failure.”
Wike further criticized Amaechi’s past political efforts, saying, “He was a former governor who couldn’t even secure 25% for Buhari during the elections, despite being the campaign DG. He joined Atiku and claimed hunger.”
Referring to Amaechi’s political ambition, Wike said, “It is clear he cannot stay out of power. From 1999 to 2023, Amaechi stood before Nigerians and claimed hunger. Thank God we did not support the PDP; otherwise, he would have taken the glory.”
On Amaechi’s claim that the opposition could remove the current president, Wike responded: “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 by positioning himself as a political asset, stating, “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.”
