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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State has told the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to stop parading Rivers State as his private estate, insisting he has no power to stop former Governor Chibuike Amaechi from campaigning in the state.
The party was reacting to comments credited to Wike on Saturday, where he reportedly vowed not to allow Amaechi, who is the vice-presidential candidate of the ADC, to campaign in Rivers unless he accounts for alleged misappropriated funds while in office.
In a statement yesterday by its State Publicity Secretary, Chizy Eneyi, the ADC described Wike’s outburst as “political entertainment” laced with threats, insults and unsubstantiated allegations.
The statement read in part: “When a serving Minister abandons reasoned political engagement for personal insults, unsubstantiated allegations and threats against an opposition candidate, silence becomes inappropriate.”
The party wondered why Wike, who served as Chief of Staff to Amaechi and later governed Rivers for eight years, is only now discovering alleged financial crimes.
“We find it rather amusing that a man who served as Chief of Staff to Amaechi and subsequently as a Minister under the same political administration now speaks as though he has only just discovered who Amaechi is.
“If he possessed evidence of the monumental crimes he now alleges, why has he not ensured their prosecution? He was governor for eight years with all the resources and institutional powers to pursue accountability,” the ADC queried.
It added: “Eight years as Governor, yet the evidence only comes out whenever Amaechi speaks. What an extraordinary coincidence! Television studios are not courtrooms, political insults are not evidence, and shouting allegations into microphones does not amount to securing a conviction.”
The ADC challenged Wike to take any evidence he has to anti-graft agencies instead of engaging in media trial, saying Nigerians deserve facts, not name-calling.
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On Wike’s warning that Amaechi would find it difficult to campaign in Rivers, the party said the comment was an affront to democracy and a veiled plot to intimidate the opposition.
“Difficult to campaign? Since when did Rivers State become a private estate requiring the permission of Nyesom Wike before citizens can exercise their constitutional rights? Rivers State belongs to Rivers people, not to any individual, however powerful he imagines himself to be.
“Amaechi does not require Wike’s permission to visit, campaign or seek the votes of Rivers people. Neither does the ADC,” it declared.
The party called on security agencies to take note of the threat and ensure that the constitutional rights and safety of all political actors are protected ahead of 2027.
It also accused the FCT Minister of abandoning his primary assignment in Abuja to monitor Amaechi’s political moves.
“We find it curious that a Minister entrusted with the administration of the Federal Capital Territory appears to devote so much energy to monitoring the political activities of one man. Nigerians may be forgiven for wondering whether Wike’s principal assignment is administering Abuja or supervising Amaechi’s political career,” the statement said.
According to the ADC, if Amaechi were truly politically irrelevant as Wike wants Nigerians to believe, his statements would not require emergency responses from the Minister.
“Sometimes, the loudest response is the clearest admission that the message has hit home. Rivers State is not anybody’s inheritance. Democracy is not a private franchise. And no Minister holds the licence to determine who may or may not campaign in Rivers State,” it concluded.
