Nyesom Wike has attacked the Atiku-Amaechi ticket, calling it a “joint ticket of corruption” and questioning its chances in Rivers
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has launched a fresh attack on the African Democratic Congress presidential ticket of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, describing the pair as a “joint ticket of corruption” ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
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Wike made the remarks on Monday during town hall meetings with stakeholders from the Rumueme and Apara kingdoms in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he also questioned the ability of the ADC ticket to secure significant support in his home state.
The former Rivers governor’s attack came as the opposition ADC prepares for the 2027 contest with Atiku as its presidential candidate and Amaechi as his running mate.
The ADC formally submitted the names of both men to the Independent National Electoral Commission, with the party describing their partnership as a combination of national experience, political reach and leadership capacity.
Wike, however, offered a sharply different assessment.
“When I saw Atiku on television yesterday, asking Nigerians to take any money given to them by people from the party in power, saying that it will be stolen money, I said, ‘Haa, Atiku is now an apostle of anti-corruption?’” Wike said.
He then turned his criticism to the former vice president’s history with former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“The same Atiku that his boss described as corrupt and that one of his major regrets is making him his Vice President is talking,” Wike said.
Wike was referring to comments made by Obasanjo in August, when the former president said he regretted choosing Atiku as his running mate in 1999.
Obasanjo said that, with the benefit of what he later came to know about Atiku, he would not have selected him had he known then what he knew later.
He also said he was grateful that Atiku’s actions and reactions did not overwhelm his administration or divert his focus from Nigeria.
The remarks reopened a political relationship that had deteriorated badly during the Obasanjo administration, when Atiku served as vice president from 1999 to 2007.
Atiku subsequently rejected Obasanjo’s characterisation of their relationship, saying he had no regret about opposing the former president’s controversial third-term bid and portraying his actions at the time as a defence of Nigeria’s democracy and Constitution.
Wike’s latest attack therefore draws on an old political dispute that has resurfaced as Atiku seeks another opportunity to contest the presidency.
The minister also sought to undermine the electoral value of Amaechi, who served as Rivers governor between 2007 and 2015 and later became a minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Wike questioned whether Amaechi could deliver Rivers State for the ADC ticket, arguing that his previous political record did not demonstrate the level of electoral strength required for the 2027 contest.
Other reports from the meeting said Wike also questioned Amaechi’s performance in delivering the state during previous presidential elections.
Wike further claimed that the Atiku-Amaechi combination would struggle to secure the required 25 per cent support in Rivers State.
That claim requires some constitutional context. A presidential candidate does not need to win 25 per cent of votes specifically in Rivers State to remain eligible to win the presidency.
Under Nigeria’s constitutional rules, a candidate must secure the highest number of votes nationwide and at least one-quarter of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Rivers State nevertheless remains politically important because of its population, strategic position in the South-South and history as a major electoral battleground.
The state is also central to Wike’s political influence.
He governed Rivers from 2015 to 2023 before becoming a minister under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, despite remaining a prominent figure in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
His support for Tinubu has increasingly placed him at odds with politicians campaigning against the president ahead of 2027.
At the Rumueme and Apara meetings, Wike made clear that his political priority is now securing Tinubu’s re-election.
“Each day I sleep, I am thinking about the President’s re-election. When I am eating, I think about the President’s re-election. Everything I am doing now is about the President’s re-election,” he said.
He urged Rivers residents to support Tinubu, arguing that the president had recognised the state’s importance through federal appointments and development projects.
“Let us forget sentiment and vote the person that has recognised the people of Rivers State with dividends of democracy and with several appointments,” Wike said.
He added that he believed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 would be easier than his victory in 2023.
The minister also extended his criticism beyond the ADC ticket, taking aim at other opposition figures, including former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, whom he described as “unelectable”.
The attacks underline the increasingly fragmented nature of the opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 election, with several political blocs attempting to build a coalition capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress.
For the ADC, the Atiku-Amaechi ticket represents an attempt to combine Atiku’s extensive national political network with Amaechi’s South-South background and experience as a former governor and federal minister.
The party announced Amaechi as its vice-presidential candidate in June after he finished runner-up to Atiku in its presidential primary process.
The ADC said the choice followed consultations with party leaders, coalition partners and stakeholders across the country’s geopolitical zones.
The ticket has consequently become one of the most closely watched opposition combinations ahead of the 2027 poll.
For Wike, however, the political battle is already taking shape in familiar territory.
His latest comments suggest that Rivers State, where he built his political base and remains an influential figure, will be a major front in the contest between Tinubu’s camp and the emerging opposition coalition.
Whether Atiku and Amaechi can translate their national ambitions into substantial support in Rivers and across the South-South will ultimately be determined at the ballot box.
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For now, Wike’s message to Rivers voters is clear: he is asking them to reject the ADC ticket and back Tinubu, while portraying Atiku and Amaechi as an unconvincing alternative for the 2027 presidency.
