Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has launched a blistering attack on former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, over the latter’s controversial “I’m hungry” remarks made during his 60th birthday celebration.
Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation and long-time political rival of Wike, had recently decried the state of the economy, saying:
“We’re all hungry, all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I am. For us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him.”
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The comment, which appeared to blend frustration with political ambition, sparked backlash—chief among them from Wike, who described the former minister’s statement as “politically insincere and misleading.”
Speaking during a media parley monitored by The Nation on Monday, Wike said:
“We’ve time to listen to junks in Nigeria. I don’t know why a man (Amaechi) will choose his 60th birthday to tell lies to Nigerians that he’s hungry. He’s only hungry for power.”
Wike questioned Amaechi’s credibility, citing his uninterrupted hold on power from 1999 to 2023—first as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, then as Governor, and later as Minister under President Buhari.
“He never spoke about hunger during those years. Now that he’s out of power, he suddenly remembers the masses are hungry?”
The FCT Minister went further to accuse Amaechi of political desperation, alleging that he is now “regrouping with opposition elements” to plot a return to relevance.
“He couldn’t give Buhari 25% in Rivers during the last election as DG of the campaign. Yet he talks about removing a president. How? Through a military coup?” Wike questioned.
He concluded by reasserting his loyalty to President Bola Tinubu, stating:
“I’m not a liability. I’m an asset. You may not like me, but I’m an asset to ensuring Tinubu wins second term.”
Amaechi is yet to formally respond to Wike’s remarks, but political watchers believe this exchange signals the early stages of an intensifying battle for control in Rivers State and national relevance ahead of 2027.
