By TheDailyNewsHub News Desk | October 3, 2026
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticised his predecessor as Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, questioning the development projects and political empowerment he attracted to his community during his years in public office.
Wike made the remarks on Friday, October 2, while addressing traditional rulers, political leaders and other stakeholders of Evo Kingdom in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The FCT minister challenged residents of the kingdom to identify tangible projects or initiatives they could attribute to Amaechi during his time as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, governor of the state and Minister of Transportation.
According to Wike, Amaechi occupied the three positions for eight years each, amounting to 24 years in senior public office. He argued that the former governor had not done enough to empower people from his community or develop the area despite the opportunities provided by those positions.
“Someone was Speaker of the House of Assembly for eight years, Governor for eight years, and Minister for eight years — that is 24 years in top leadership positions! What can anybody point to that he attracted to Evo Kingdom or Rivers State in all those 24 years? Nothing! Not one single thing!” Wike said.
He contrasted Amaechi’s record with his own experience in government, saying he could identify projects he attracted to Rivers State while serving as Minister of State for Education under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Wike also accused previous political leaders of concentrating power and failing to create opportunities for others to emerge. He argued that leadership should be measured not only by the offices held but also by the people empowered and institutions established to sustain development after a leader leaves office.
The minister questioned what he described as an unwillingness by some political figures to encourage successors from their communities, saying he believed public office should be used to create opportunities for others.
Wike also spoke about his own political journey, saying he was satisfied with the positions he had occupied and had no desire to return to offices he had previously held.
“I can’t be a governor again. I’ve been a minister two times. I cannot be chairman of council again. So I am happy. I don’t have anything to lose,” he said.
The gathering also provided an opportunity for Wike to restate his political commitment to President Bola Tinubu and the political coalition he is building in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general election. Traditional and political leaders present at the meeting expressed support for the minister and candidates backed by the Rainbow Coalition.
Amaechi’s public career includes eight years as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007, two terms as governor between 2007 and 2015, and service as Minister of Transportation under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023.
His tenure as transportation minister included federal railway and other transport infrastructure projects, while his years as governor involved several state infrastructure initiatives. Wike’s remarks, however, focused specifically on what he said Amaechi brought to Evo Kingdom and Rivers State, rather than providing a detailed assessment of individual projects completed during the former governor’s administrations.
The criticism is the latest episode in a long-running political rivalry between the two former Rivers State governors. Wike and Amaechi were once political allies, with Wike serving as Amaechi’s Chief of Staff during his governorship. Their relationship later deteriorated as political disagreements and competition for control of Rivers State politics intensified.
Amaechi, who is now the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate and running mate to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has also been critical of the Tinubu administration. In a recent statement on petrol prices, he said he would withdraw from Atiku’s campaign and support Tinubu if petrol fell to ₦600 per litre.
The latest exchange comes as political actors in Rivers State position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections, with Wike mobilising support for Tinubu while Amaechi is aligned with the opposition ADC ticket.
Wike’s comments represent his assessment of Amaechi’s political legacy. The claims about the absence of development projects and political empowerment were not accompanied by a detailed project-by-project review during the reported meeting. A comprehensive assessment would require examining the records of the former governor’s state administrations and federal ministry, as well as the projects and interventions attributed to them.
The remarks have once again brought the political rivalry between the two men into focus, while placing questions about public accountability, community development and political succession at the centre of their contest for influence in Rivers State.