2027: Rivers Will Repay Amaechi for Backing Buhari Against GEJ, Wike Declares

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the people of Rivers State will remember former governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s role in the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election.

Wike said Amaechi’s decision to back Muhammadu Buhari against Jonathan, a fellow South-South politician, would affect how voters in the region receive his current political ambitions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The FCT minister made the declaration while discussing the emerging political battle ahead of the 2027 elections, insisting that Amaechi had openly acknowledged his role in the political campaign that ended Jonathan’s bid for a second term in office.

Jonathan, who is from neighbouring Bayelsa State, contested the 2015 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, but lost to Buhari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress. Amaechi was then a leading APC figure and served as director-general of Buhari’s presidential campaign.

Wike said Amaechi’s decision to work against Jonathan created a political burden for him in the South-South, particularly now that he is seeking to become Vice President alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election.

According to Wike, Amaechi cannot reasonably expect South-South voters to support his vice-presidential ambition after celebrating his contribution to the removal of a South-South president from office. He argued that the region would not have forgotten the political events surrounding the 2015 election.

Wike has also challenged Amaechi’s electoral record, pointing out that Buhari failed to secure the required 25 per cent of presidential votes in Rivers State in 2015 despite Amaechi serving as his campaign director-general. He similarly questioned Amaechi’s influence during the 2019 election.

The minister further argued that Amaechi’s record as governor and later Minister of Transportation under Buhari did not justify claims that he possesses the political strength required to deliver Rivers State for the ADC presidential ticket. Wike questioned what major opportunities and projects Amaechi attracted to the state during his time in the federal government.

Amaechi is now running alongside Atiku under the African Democratic Congress, creating a direct political contrast with Wike, who has remained a prominent supporter of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Wike has repeatedly maintained that Tinubu is the candidate capable of winning Rivers State in 2027.

The FCT minister has also pointed to federal infrastructure and appointments involving Rivers indigenes under Tinubu as evidence of what he describes as unprecedented attention to the state. He specifically cited the Bodo-Bonny Road and the number of Rivers people occupying senior federal positions.

The renewed confrontation between Wike and Amaechi adds another layer to Rivers State’s increasingly competitive 2027 political landscape. With Amaechi campaigning as Atiku’s running mate and Wike mobilising support for Tinubu, the state is set to become one of the major battlegrounds in the next presidential election.