By peterside Rejoice Eneky
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has fired back at former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi over comments he made last week expressing personal and national hardship, saying: “I’m hungry.”
Speaking on Monday during a media parley monitored by Premier News, Wike dismissed Amaechi’s remarks as politically motivated, accusing the former minister of being “hungry for power,” not food.
Last week, Amaechi, while speaking at an event marking his 60th birthday, lamented the state of Nigeria’s economy. “We’re all hungry, all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I’m. For us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power,” Amaechi said.
Reacting, Wike criticized Amaechi for trivializing the issue of hunger despite having held top positions for over two decades. “We’ve time to listen to junks in Nigeria. I don’t know why a man will choose his 60th birthday to tell lies to Nigerians that he’s hungry,” Wike said.
Wike pointed out that Amaechi had served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly (1999–2007), Governor of Rivers (2007–2015), and Minister of Transportation (2015–2023), yet never raised such concerns while in office.
“Now they are regrouping. They are only hungry for power. Since 1999 to 2023, Amaechi has been in government. Now he stands before Nigerians to claim hunger? He was even Director-General of Buhari’s campaign and couldn’t deliver 25% in Rivers,” Wike said.
He added, “Let them form a coalition. Let him start from home. Let’s see how he can remove the president. Is it by military coup? That’s what it sounds like.”
Wike went on to reaffirm his loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and his administration’s goals, declaring, “I’m not a liability; I’m an asset. You may not like me, but I’m an asset to ensuring President Tinubu wins a second term.”
The clash between the two former governors of Rivers State reflects growing tensions within the opposition and broader political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
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