PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria — The African Democratic Congress in Rivers State has pushed back against Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike after he predicted an overwhelming defeat for former Rivers Gov. Rotimi Amaechi and other opposition candidates in the 2027 elections. State ADC Chairman Chukwudi Dimkpa said electoral victories cannot be secured through political boasts or declarations made before votes are cast.
Wike made the remarks Saturday during a civic reception organized in his honor at Omagwa in Rivers’ Ikwerre Local Government Area, telling supporters that candidates backed by his Rainbow Coalition would prevail next year. He also said Amaechi, now the ADC vice-presidential candidate, would effectively be defeated by noon on election day. “Elections are not won by boasts, intimidation or political strongmen,” Dimkpa responded, stressing that Nigeria’s electoral commission has responsibility for declaring results.
The ADC also criticized the timing of Wike’s reception, which took place as Amaechi was burying his mother, Dame Ezinne Mary Orduah Amaechi, in nearby Ubima. Dimkpa accused organizers of creating traffic problems along the route and said political rivalries should have been set aside during the funeral. The burial drew prominent political figures, including ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
The latest confrontation reflects the long-running rivalry between Wike and Amaechi, two of the most influential politicians to emerge from Rivers State. Amaechi governed the state from 2007 to 2015 before serving as transportation minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari, while Wike succeeded him as governor and served from 2015 until 2023. Once political allies, the two men have spent years on opposing sides of major contests for control of the oil-producing state.
The dispute has intensified as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections. Wike has repeatedly argued that President Bola Tinubu and candidates supported by his political network will dominate Rivers, while the ADC says no politician has the authority to determine how the state will vote in advance. The opposition party has nominated former Rivers Secretary to the State Government Gabriel Pidomson as its governorship candidate, while Amaechi is running alongside Atiku on the ADC presidential ticket.
Rivers carries significance beyond its electoral numbers because it lies in Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta, an area central to the finances and energy output of Africa’s most populous country. The state has also experienced prolonged political tensions in recent years, making the conduct of the 2027 vote closely watched by parties, businesses and civil society groups. Dimkpa urged residents to make their choices without intimidation, while Wike and his allies maintain that their political organization has the support needed to prevail at the polls.
