Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has issued a stern warning to his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, stating that he will bar the former governor from political mobilization in Rivers State should he continue attacking President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, Wike condemned Amaechi’s public criticism of the current administration and challenged the former Minister of Transportation to provide answers regarding controversial public expenditures and incomplete initiatives during his tenure as Rivers State governor.
The dispute was triggered by Amaechi’s remarks at an African Democratic Congress (ADC) gathering in Edo State. Serving as the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Amaechi had denounced Tinubu’s economic strategy as reckless and argued that voters would have to be out of their minds to re-elect the president given the widespread hardship across the country.
In response, Wike demanded clarity on several massive fiscal transactions dating back to Amaechi’s leadership. The FCT minister pressed for the whereabouts of $39 million supposedly disbursed for the unbuilt Justice Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital, while also questioning a $10 million mosquito fumigation deal handed to a Cuban enterprise, labeling it a squandering of public resources.
Additionally, Wike asked about the fate of roughly $308 million generated from the divestment of state-owned power assets and condemned the deserted N68 billion Port Harcourt monorail venture as an ill-fated investment that demands an explanation.
Reiterating his warning, Wike asserted that persistent verbal attacks against Tinubu would result in Amaechi being barred from staging campaign rallies in Rivers State. These allegations regarding Amaechi’s prior administration have not been independently confirmed, and the former governor has yet to issue an official rebuttal.