“I made you, yet you constantly disrespect me” – Amaechi blasts Wike

Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has openly expressed frustration over what he described as constant disrespect from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, questioning Wike’s lack of regard for him despite their political history.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Amaechi challenged Wike to prove his popularity by walking with him from Abuja to Port Harcourt without any security escorts.

“Let the Minister of the FCT come, let’s take a walk from the airport to Port Harcourt — no police, no army, nothing, just the two of us,” Amaechi said. “I don’t know why he doesn’t respect people like us. I am older. I brought him up in politics. Who is he?”

Amaechi stressed that the opposition should focus less on Wike and more on enlightening Nigerians about the stakes in the 2027 elections.

“If the opposition continues to focus on him, we’ll be distracted from making the people know that this 2027 election is between the people — there’s no party, no ADC, no ADA, nothing — versus Tinubu’s government,” he added.

The former minister also addressed why he remained silent during the political feud between Wike and suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

“Why should I intervene? Did you see the outcome? Don’t you get impressed by my reaction, that at the end of the day, somebody has surrendered?” he said. “At the end of the day, you can see the looting going on in the government.”

Amaechi further confirmed that he has officially resigned from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), revealing he submitted his resignation letter to his ward chairman earlier in the week.

“Yes, I did. I think it was on Tuesday,” he stated. “I directed one of my staff from my village to convey the letter to the ward chairman that I have left the party — if there’s even a party called APC, by the way.”

The long-standing rivalry between Amaechi and Wike, once political allies in Rivers State, has dominated headlines for years.

Amaechi governed the state for eight years, after which Wike succeeded him in 2015. Wike, after serving two terms, was appointed FCT Minister by President Tinubu in 2023.

Their war of words intensified recently when Amaechi, during his 60th birthday celebration, said he was “hungry” and open to joining the opposition coalition led by Atiku Abubakar to unseat Tinubu in 2027.

Wike, however, dismissed Amaechi’s remarks, accusing him of being desperate for power rather than food.

“I don’t know why a man would choose his 60th birthday to tell lies. It’s unfortunate. Of all times, on your 60th birthday when people are celebrating you?” Wike said in Abuja on June 2.

Wike accused Amaechi of hypocrisy, pointing out his long political career, including his time as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term governor, and Minister of Transportation.

“He was Speaker from 1999 to 2007, the most pampered speaker. He became a governor from 2007 to 2015. Eight years as Speaker, eight years as governor, and he never talked about hunger. He became a minister from 2015 to 2023, eight years as a super minister of transport. When he was borrowing money for projects, he didn’t talk about hunger,” Wike said.