Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has claimed that former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi never stood a realistic chance of securing the African Democratic Congress presidential ticket due to the party’s leadership structure.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike said it became obvious to him that the ADC primary process would favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar after the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as party chairman.
According to the FCT minister, the party’s leadership arrangement was “Atiku’s set-up 100 per cent,” making it unlikely that Amaechi would receive a transparent and fair contest. He added that he would have advised his former ally against joining the race if consulted.
Wike also argued that Amaechi misjudged the political climate and was influenced by growing criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to enter the contest.
The minister further revisited grievances from the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2022 presidential primary, accusing David Mark of failing to ensure a level playing field in the process that produced Atiku as the party’s candidate.
His remarks come days after Amaechi rejected the outcome of the ADC presidential primary, describing it as manipulated and lacking transparency. Despite the objections, the ADC declared Atiku winner of the contest and its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The party said Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes, defeating Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes, while businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen finished third with 177,120 votes.
Meanwhile, Atiku has reportedly met separately with Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen in an effort to reconcile aggrieved members and strengthen party unity ahead of the 2027 election.
