Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has claimed the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary was structured to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, leaving former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi with no realistic prospect of victory.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike said the composition of the ADC leadership made the outcome predictable from the start.
“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.
He singled out the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as ADC chairman as a clear signal of bias.
“When I saw the setup in ADC and saw David Mark there, I laughed. When you have worked with these people, you know who is who and what they are capable of doing. That set-up was Atiku’s set-up 100 per cent,” Wike added.
The minister accused Amaechi of acting in haste, saying he was swayed by public criticism of the current administration.
“I think my brother made a mistake. He was too much in a hurry. He was carried away by people shouting that this government is not doing well,” he said.
Wike’s comments come after Amaechi rejected the primary results in which Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes to Amaechi’s 504,117. Amaechi had described the process as lacking transparency and marked by widespread disenfranchisement.
