ABUJA, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, stated on April 18, 2026, that former government officials Rotimi Amaechi and David Mark cannot secure victories for the African Democratic Congress in Rivers State and Benue State during the 2027 general elections.
Okay News reports that Wike told journalists that previous electoral cycles demonstrate a lack of political influence for the opposition figures. He cited the 2015 and 2019 elections, stating that the All Progressives Congress failed to win in Rivers State despite Amaechi serving as the director-general of the presidential campaign for former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Are we saying today, if an election is conducted in Rivers State today, that Rotimi Amaechi will deliver Rivers State to ADC?” Wike asked. “Remember, he was a governor. When I came to run as governor, he was in the APC. Who defeated him? And he was the DG of the campaign then. Remember, in 2019, when I was running for my second term, he was the minister of transportation and was the DG of Buhari’s campaign.”
Wike stated he won his elections against federal influence and noted the voting margins. “Of all the federal might that came, I won. The late President Buhari never got 25 percent. In 2015, he didn’t get it. In 2019, he didn’t get it. How do you now say that he will win?” Wike said.
Regarding Benue State, Wike questioned the capacity of the national chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Mark, pointing to his family’s affiliation with the Peoples Democratic Party. “Take, for example, Benue, where the former Senate president, their so-called chairman of the party, his daughter won under APC, and he was in PDP,” he said. “Will you now say former Senate President David Mark will deliver Benue to ADC in 2027?”
Wike told opposition parties to organize at the grassroots level rather than relying on prominent individuals. “So, we should stop saying there’s one party. So many parties have been registered. Why do you say that this party is not opposition? All other parties are there. You should encourage them to do what the opposition is supposed to do,” he said. “I will be very glad that they are on the ballot. Let them contest the election. Let the stories be over. The only thing you hear next time is, ‘Oh, the election was rigged.’ That’s the only thing you hear. That’s the only language they will come and tell you.”
