Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticised former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, for participating in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary, saying the former governor should have anticipated the outcome of the process.

Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike said he would have advised Amaechi against entering the race if he had sought his counsel, insisting that the structure of the ADC made it unlikely that the primary would be conducted transparently.

Wike, who served as Chief of Staff during Amaechi's administration in Rivers State, alleged that the party's leadership arrangement was designed to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

“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 obvious he would not get transparency or due process,” Wike said.

The FCT minister argued that the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as chairman of the party signalled what he described as a predetermined process.

“When I saw the setup in ADC and saw David Mark there, I laughed. When you have worked with these people, you know who they are and what they are capable of doing. That set-up was Atiku's set-up one hundred per cent,” he stated.

According to Wike, the composition of the party leadership left little room for a free and fair contest, adding that Amaechi may have been swayed by growing public criticism of the current administration.

“I think my brother made a mistake. He was in too much of a hurry. He was carried away by people shouting that this government is not doing well. They used that to lure people in and give themselves credibility,” he said.

Wike also revisited the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary in 2022, accusing David Mark of failing to ensure a level playing field during the contest in which he and Atiku participated.

His comments come amid lingering controversy over the ADC presidential primary conducted ahead of the 2027 general election.

Amaechi has rejected the outcome of the exercise, describing the results as “concocted” and alleging that the process fell short of the transparency and fairness promised by the party.

In a post on his X account before the official declaration of the results, the former Rivers governor claimed that many party members were denied the opportunity to vote, arguing that the development undermined the democratic principles upon which the ADC was founded.

Despite the objections, the party declared Atiku Abubakar winner of the primary and its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

Official results released by the ADC showed Atiku polling 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes. Businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.

Meanwhile, Atiku has reportedly met separately with Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen in a bid to reconcile aggrieved stakeholders and strengthen party unity following the contentious primary contest.