“He’s Hungry For Power, Not Food” – Wike Reveals Why Amaechi Joined Atiku

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has fired back at former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over his recent comment about being “hungry.”

Wike, speaking on Monday during a press chat in Abuja, said Amaechi isn’t hungry for food, stressing that the latter is hungry for political power.

This was in response to Amaechi’s statement last Friday at his 60th birthday event, where he said he’s “hungry” and wouldn’t mind teaming up with opposition leader Atiku Abubakar to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

At that event, Amaechi had criticised the state of the economy, saying, “We’re all hungry, all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I am. For us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power.”

Amaechi also claimed that Nigeria’s political scene is driven by self-interest, not ideology. He said, “In Nigeria, there are no capitalist ideas among the politicians; it’s about sharing.”

During a media parley in Abuja, Wike Accused Amaechi of only caring about returning to power, not the real struggles of Nigerians.

He also pointed out that Amaechi, as the Director-General of Buhari’s campaign, couldn’t even win significant support for the party in his own state.

 Wike said, “We have no time to listen to nonsense in Nigeria. I don’t understand why a man like Amaechi would choose his 60th birthday to lie to Nigerians about being hungry.

“He was Speaker from 1999 to 2007, Governor from 2007 to 2015, and Minister from 2015 to 2023. He never spoke about hunger during those years.

“Now they are regrouping. They are only hungry for power. This shows his failure. How can you trivialise the issue of hunger? He joined Atiku and claimed hunger. It is clear he cannot stay out of power.

“From 1999 to 2023, Amaechi stood before Nigerians and claimed hunger. He was a former governor who couldn’t secure even 25% for Buhari during elections, despite being the campaign DG.

“Thank God we did not support the PDP; otherwise, he would have taken the glory. He is now in a coalition. I don’t like to talk much. Let them form their team and start from home in Rivers.

“Let’s see how he plans to remove the president. Is it a military coup? The term ‘removal’ is synonymous with dictatorship or military coup. Nigerians remember what happened in 2015, and now he claims Nigerians are hungry.

“I am not a liability; I am an asset. You may dislike me, but I am an asset in ensuring President Tinubu wins a second term.”

Wike and Amaechi have a long history. Both are former governors of Rivers State. Amaechi led the state from 2007 to 2015 and was appointed Transport Minister by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Before that, he was Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007 and also the first chairman of the Conference of State Assembly Speakers.

KanyiDaily recalls that Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka recently praised Rotimi Amaechi for standing his ground during the 2022 APC presidential primary, where he refused to step down for eventual winner Bola Tinubu.