FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has revealed how a statement made by former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi years ago could influence the battle for Rivers votes ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Wike made the remarks on Saturday while speaking in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he declared that the state’s “rainbow coalition” would adopt Amaechi’s own definition of brotherhood in deciding who to support in 2027.
According to Wike, Amaechi had during the build-up to the 2015 presidential election described a “brother” as someone who identifies with the people’s problems rather than someone connected by blood.
Wike said the same definition would now be applied to the 2027 election, arguing that President Bola Tinubu had demonstrated support for Rivers State and should therefore be regarded as their “brother.”
He said: “In 2014, Amaechi defined who a brother is. Other speakers didn’t want to call his name. Well, I have the capacity to call his name all the time.”
Wike recalled that Amaechi had supported then-presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari over incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, arguing at the time that Buhari was a “brother” because he identified with the concerns of the people.
The FCT Minister suggested that the same argument could now work against Amaechi, who is currently the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Amaechi defined a brother as one who identifies with us in terms of problems. He said brotherhood is not blood relation. So, we are going to copy that definition for the 2027 presidential election,” Wike said.
Wike also criticised Amaechi’s tenure as Minister of Transportation, accusing him of failing to deliver enough benefits to Rivers State and alleging that the University of Transportation was taken to Daura, Katsina State, instead of being established in Rivers.
He further cited developments under the Tinubu administration, including the emergence of Rivers indigenes as Vice-Chancellors of the University of Port Harcourt and the newly established University of Environment.
According to Wike, these developments demonstrate that Tinubu has identified with the interests of Rivers State.
“That means Tinubu is our brother, and we have adopted him as our brother. So, we are going to follow Amaechi’s definition and vote President Tinubu over him and the ADC,” he declared.
Wike’s remarks add another layer to the growing political battle in Rivers State, where rival camps are already positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
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