Abuja FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has strongly condemned former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, accusing him of exploiting his late mother’s death for political gain. Wike’s remarks came after Amaechi publicly attributed his mother’s passing to the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking on Saturday to members of the Uzugbani Ekpeye National Executive Council in Ahoada, Rivers State, Wike expressed his disapproval of Amaechi’s comments. Amaechi, identified as the African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, had stated during a Channels Television interview on Friday, “Tinubu’s policies killed my mother. Before Tinubu came, my mother was healthy. After 2023, it was difficult for me to buy drugs for my mother.”
Wike vehemently challenged Amaechi’s assertion, highlighting his extensive political career. “This one, a speaker for eight years, from 1999 to 2007. This one, a governor for eight years, from 2007 to 2015. This one, a minister for eight years, from 2015 to 2023,” Wike enumerated, questioning how someone with such a privileged background could claim inability to purchase drugs for his mother due to economic policies.
The FCT Minister further questioned Amaechi’s financial claims, pointing to his family’s reported wealth, including his wife, who he described as an “industrialist.” He also wondered why Amaechi’s associates, some of whom possess private jets and attended the burial, allegedly did not offer financial assistance for his mother’s medical expenses while she was alive. Wike suggested that funds were likely provided for the burial, implying a contradiction in Amaechi’s narrative.
Wike also took exception to Amaechi’s previously recorded statement linking his mother’s posthumous happiness to the electoral success of the ADC in the 2027 elections. “How can you bring a loved one who’s gone to bring in politics?” Wike queried, calling it a regrettable descent into using a deceased parent for political discourse. “It is unfortunate people can descend so low to use their mother to play politics,” he added.
Concluding his address, Wike urged respect for the dead, emphasizing the need to allow the departed to rest in peace. He offered prayers that Amaechi’s mother, Mary Amaechi, who passed away in July 2026 and was buried in September in Ubima, Rivers State, would find peace with her Creator.
This latest public exchange marks another chapter in the long-standing and often acrimonious political rivalry between Wike and Amaechi, who once shared a political alliance before becoming fierce opponents. Wike had also criticized Amaechi earlier in the week, challenging him to account for his achievements in Rivers State after 24 years in various senior political roles.