ADC primary election designed to favour Atiku, Amaechi stood no chance — Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that the leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress was deliberately designed to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, making it impossible for former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to secure the party’s 2027 presidential ticket.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike said he knew Amaechi’s bid was doomed from the moment he saw the composition of the ADC leadership, describing it as “Atiku’s set-up 100 per cent.”
Wike, who served as Chief of Staff during Amaechi’s tenure as Rivers State governor, said he would have advised his former ally against joining the race if he had sought his opinion.
“Amaechi is my brother. I served as Chief of Staff in his government. When I saw that he was running with them, I knew what would happen. If he had called me, I would have said, ‘Don’t go there.’ It was very clear he would not get transparency or due process,” Wike said.
The FCT minister argued that the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as chairman of the ADC signalled that the process would favour Atiku, adding that politicians familiar with the party’s key actors could easily predict the outcome.
According to him, Amaechi misread the political environment and allowed growing criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to influence his decision to join the contest.
Wike also revived grievances from the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2022 presidential primary, accusing David Mark of failing to ensure a level playing field in the contest that eventually produced Atiku as the party’s candidate.
His remarks come days after Amaechi rejected the outcome of the ADC primary, describing the exercise as manipulated and alleging that many members were prevented from voting. Despite the objections, the party declared Atiku winner with 1,846,370 votes, ahead of Amaechi’s 504,117 votes and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen’s 177,120 votes.
