Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has alleged that Rotimi Amaechi, the presidential running mate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), will withdraw from the 2027 presidential race by 11:00 a.m. on election day, January 16, 2027. Wike made the statement on Saturday, predicting that Amaechi would step down while claiming the election has been rigged.
Speaking at a campaign rally for President Bola Tinubu in the Ikwerre area of Rivers State, Wike asserted that Amaechi’s withdrawal would mirror his past actions. "Mr President, January 16 is already around the corner, I want to tell you that by 11am you will hear somebody will announce, 'we are not participating in the election, they have rigged it'," Wike said. He noted that this behavior is consistent with Amaechi’s conduct in 2015 and 2019 when he served as the Director General of the presidential campaign for the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
During the rally, Wike also criticized Amaechi’s track record, reminding Nigerians that he failed to secure 15 percent of the vote during his tenure as campaign director. "That was how the same person did in 2015 and 2019 when he was DG of the presidential campaign, he never got up to 15 percent, he never had it," the minister stated.
Beyond the 2027 election predictions, Wike challenged Amaechi to provide an account of how $39 million allocated for the Karibi Whyte Specialist Hospital in Rivers State was spent while Amaechi was governor. Wike noted that the sum is equivalent to at least 53 billion naira in today’s exchange rates and demanded to see the foundation of the facility.
The FCT minister further questioned Amaechi’s previous claims regarding public health initiatives in the state. Wike argued that despite Amaechi’s assertion that he had "fumigated" Rivers State to eliminate mosquitoes, the issue persists. "Has mosquito gone? Is mosquito not biting you?" Wike asked, adding that Rivers State residents have received no fewer than 47 political appointments from President Tinubu and are not concerned about the current campaign.
"We are not worried, all we are saying is that come and tell us where Karibi Whyte Specialist Hospital is, where we paid $39 million," Wike concluded, urging Amaechi to demonstrate the existence of the infrastructure he claimed to have delivered during his time in office.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
