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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has fired back at former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, saying his anger stems from seeing him drive a Rolls Royce.
Wike made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday. Responding to questions about Amaechi’s track record under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Wike didn’t hold back, accusing Amaechi of hypocrisy and corruption.
“His anger is that he saw me using a Rolls-Royce — and so what?” Wike asked. “It was not given to me by a contractor. A contractor gave him his own, and that is a bribe. He took from a contractor, but I will not do that. He is one of the most corrupt people.”
Wike’s comments appear to be a direct response to Amaechi’s recent interview where the former Minister of Transportation claimed his wife was “almost an industrialist.” Dismissing that statement, Wike turned the spotlight on alleged misuse of power and conflict of interest, accusing Amaechi’s wife of receiving government contracts during her husband’s tenure. According to Wike, she had a standing contract to train women in the Niger Delta, though he did not present any documents to support the claim.
During the interview, Wike also used the opportunity to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release the long-delayed forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He suggested that the report is being suppressed to protect those implicated in corruption. “Let President Bola Ahmed Tinubu do us a favour and release the report of the forensic audit of the NDDC,” he said. “Mr. President should help Nigerians.”
The forensic audit was commissioned in 2021 under former President Buhari’s government to investigate how the NDDC had managed its finances and projects from 2001 to 2019. The report was expected to expose cases of project abandonment, misuse of funds, and fraudulent dealings that have haunted the commission for nearly two decades.
Wike claimed that if the audit report does not confirm his accusations, he is ready to resign as Minister of the FCT. “Let them release the document. If what I am saying is not in the document, I will resign as the Minister of FCT. I don’t worship the office,” he declared.
He also questioned Amaechi’s educational background, claiming that the former governor failed to graduate from Rivers State University. “Amaechi went to Rivers State University, but he couldn’t pass,” Wike alleged.
The fresh exchange adds another chapter to the long-standing political rivalry between the two former Rivers governors. Their feud has dominated political headlines in the state for years and continues to shape public discourse, especially as national issues like corruption in the NDDC remain unresolved.
The NDDC itself has been mired in controversy, with numerous investigations over the years. One of the most dramatic episodes occurred in 2020 during a House of Representatives probe when the acting Managing Director at the time, Professor Daniel Pondei, collapsed under questioning. That same probe also saw the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, claim that lawmakers were among the biggest beneficiaries of NDDC contracts.
With Wike now in a powerful federal position and Amaechi maintaining his influence in the political landscape, the public clash between the two may not end anytime soon — especially with renewed calls to expose the truth behind years of alleged corruption in the Niger Delta.
