The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has threatened to make it difficult for former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to campaign in Rivers State if he continues to attack President Bola Tinubu and his supporters.
Wike’s comments is coming after remarks attributed to the Vice-Presidential candidate, African Democratic Congress, ADC, Rotimi Amaechi, who reportedly stated that only thieves and mad people would vote for Tinubu.
But the minister, after a meeting with chairmen of the six FCT area councils on Friday, accused Amaechi of resorting to personal attacks rather than issue-based campaigning, saying the comments amounted to an insult against Nigerians who support the President, including himself.
Wike warned that, “If he continues this line, it will be difficult for him to campaign in Rivers. If he continues along this line, it may be difficult for him to campaign in Rivers. And I want somebody to go and write it down. Because we will not take that. We will not!
“It’s not even to go to the people to say, ‘This is what you will do against what the present government is doing.’
“He said, ‘Oh, the President.’ Who does that in this world? To say those who are voting for President, they are all thieves. To say those who vote for President are all madmen.”
Wike, who said he had declared his intention to vote for Tinubu, challenged Amaechi to explain his record as Rivers governor, accusing him of making allegations against the President and his supporters while failing to answer questions about projects undertaken during his own tenure.
“He said so! Because I have said I’m going to vote for Ahmed Tinubu, and he has said all those who want to vote for him or will vote for him are thieves. So, I’m a thief? That’s what he’s saying.
“But who can be a bigger thief than Amaechi? Who? I’ve challenged him! Is somebody who sat on the treasury of a state, looted it, and wasted it, with all due respect to most of you who are here, buying houses for young girls all over the place?
“Yes! Let him come out and challenge if this is not correct.”
The FCT minister cited four projects and transactions he said Amaechi should account for: a $39 million cassava flour mill, a $10 million fumigation contract awarded to a Cuban company, a N68 billion monorail project and the sale of Rivers State’s gas turbines for $308 million.
Wike questioned the outcome of the fumigation contract, using his own experience to challenge the project’s effectiveness.
“I challenge him, and I challenge the media: Ask him the $10 million USD you paid to a Cuban company to fumigate Rivers State so there will be no mosquito bite!
“Up till now, mosquito has been biting Rivers people, including myself! Each time I go home. And nobody is talking about it!
“And I’ve asked him, the N68 billion monorail, where is the monorail? I’ve asked him, where is the $308 million USD you sold our gas turbine?”
He also questioned the whereabouts of the cassava flour mill, alleging that $39 million had been paid for a project that was never delivered.
“A man who wants to be a Presidential candidate, a Vice Presidential candidate of a country cannot account for paying humongous amounts of $39 million USD, which is about N53 billion today, for a project that does not exist!
“A man who will take a state N68 billion to say he’s constructing a monorail that does not exist!
“A man who will go and fumigate the state against malaria bite for $10 million USD, about N14 billion!
“A man who will sell the gas turbine of a state for $308 million USD, which is more than N400 billion today!”
Wike further accused Amaechi of being indicted by a judicial panel of inquiry and challenged him over the outcome of the legal proceedings concerning the findings.
He also criticised the media for what he described as its failure to scrutinise the allegations against Amaechi, arguing that similar claims against Tinubu or himself would receive more attention.
The minister then called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to take action against politicians who, he said, incited the public or abandoned issue-based campaigning for personal attacks.
“Many Nigerians have called INEC to sanction political parties, candidates, or some politicians who, in their campaigns, incite the public or raise matters that are not issue-based.
“We have been told to go on campaign based on issues: what are you going to do for the people? Not on attacking personality, not on insulting individuals.”
Wike maintained that Amaechi should be held to account for his remarks and warned that his supporters in Rivers State would not accept continued attacks against Tinubu and those backing him.
“I’m not the Governor of Rivers State, but I do know that our supporters will not allow him in Rivers State to do that, and it will be difficult—we’ll make it difficult for him not to campaign in Rivers. He cannot do that.
“Except he withdraws and—and know that enough is enough.”
