Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has responded to remarks made by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, regarding their past working relationship. Amaechi addressed Wike’s claim that he is not his boss, stressing that he held that position regardless of Wike’s opinion.
The issue arose after Wike, during a press briefing in Abuja, dismissed Amaechi’s influence, saying the former Minister of Transportation lacked significant power. Wike also criticized Amaechi’s role as the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign, noting that Amaechi failed to secure Rivers State votes for former President Muhammadu Buhari in both the 2015 and 2019 elections.
Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, later responded to comments by former presidential spokesman Reuben Abati. Abati had described Wike as rude and insisted that Amaechi was politically Wike’s boss. Olayinka questioned how Amaechi could be considered Wike’s superior in politics, highlighting that Wike himself helped Amaechi regain his political mandate in 2007 after Amaechi fled to Ghana.
When Amaechi was interviewed by Arise News on Thursday and asked if he remains friends with Wike, he avoided personal details, replying, “Why go into personal life?” However, when asked directly if he still socializes with Wike, Amaechi stated firmly, “I’ve told you this several times, subordinates. I was once his [Wike’s] boss, whether he likes it or not. I hired him; I could have said no.”
