Politics

I Don’t Want To Join Issues With Children, Amaechi Hits Back At Wike

Published

3 weeks ago

June 4, 2025

Former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi has fired back at Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, saying he would not engage in a war of words with “children”.

Amaechi made the remark on Tuesday during an appearance on ARISE TV, in response to Wike’s criticism of his recent comments on the state of hunger in Nigeria.

“God, Peter Odili, the judiciary and the Rivers State people made me governor. Ask him how he made me governor. I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children,” Amaechi said.

The exchange stems from Amaechi’s earlier comments at his 60th birthday celebration, where he expressed concern about the economic hardship in the country.

“Nigerian elites are not the problems of Nigeria. The problems of Nigeria are the followership. There are no capitalists in Nigeria; capitalists are those with capital to invest for production. Do we produce here? I look at Nigeria and ask what are we doing here? Do we really want to be a country? What is important is how do we change this country?

“We’re all hungry, all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I’m. For us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power,” Amaechi said.

Wike, during a media chat on Monday, dismissed Amaechi’s comments as “politically motivated” and accused him of trivialising the plight of Nigerians.

“He did not talk about hunger. He became a minister — super minister of transportation. He did not talk about hunger. Two years after he left office and as a member of the coalition, he is talking about hunger. He is just hungry for power,” Wike said.

“How do you insult Nigerians and trivialise poverty and hunger? You are insulting Nigerians. It is just that you have stayed out of power — that is the hunger.”

In his response, Amaechi debunked Wike’s claim of being instrumental to his rise as governor, stating that his emergence was backed by divine intervention, legal victory, and the support of the people of Rivers State.

The former minister of transportation also addressed his decision to appoint Wike as chief of staff instead of commissioner for finance, citing the need for close supervision.

He said, “Mohammed Adoke flew all the way from Abuja to Port Harcourt. That week he asked me to make him commissioner for finance and I said no, he has to work under me. I want him as chief of staff so I can supervise him.

“I didn’t offer him commissioner for finance. You see, I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children. I was once his boss. Whether he likes it or not. I hired him. I could have said no.”

He added, “You know, he made himself chief of staff. He made himself governor. He made himself minister. He made himself local government chairman.”

Amaechi also took a jab at Wike’s political conduct, saying, “There’s no more respect for family names. People just do and say anything.”

Politics

2027: Drama As Two ‘ADA’ Emerge In INEC’s List Of 110 Party Registration Bids

Published

8 hours ago

June 26, 2025

Editor

Two political associations seeking registration as political parties have submitted identical acronyms to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

According to Vanguard, the first is the All Democratic Alliance, ADA, being promoted by Chief Akin Ricketts and said to be one of the special purpose vehicles that the anti-Tinubu coalition is seeking to use as a platform in the 2027 general election.

While the Ricketts ADA is 109 on the INEC list, the other ADA, Advanced Democratic Alliance, is 110, the last one the list unveiled by the electoral umpire.

This second ADA has Alhaji Ahmadu Suleiman as Protem Chairman and Zipporah Pius Miracles as Secretary.

The Ricketts ADA has its national headquarters at Ground Floor, UAC Complex, Plot 273 Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun Street, CBD, Abuja, FCT.

Suleiman’s ADA has its national headquarters at 1 Frandriance Close, Off Oda Crescent, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, no fewer than 110 political associations have written to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, seeking registration as political parties.

Politics

Damagum Is PDP’s Problem – Ex-Benue Gov Suswam

Published

19 hours ago

June 25, 2025

Editor

Former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, on Wednesday declared that the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Umar Damagum, is the problem of the party.

Suswam, who insisted that Damagum is not a leader, said the party has been drifting downwards since he assumed the role of acting National Chairman.

Featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the former governor said, “There is no integrity in the leadership of PDP, I’m happy that Wike said it.

Politics

Confusion In PDP As NWC Counters Damagum, Rejects Anyanwu’s Reinstatement

Published

21 hours ago

June 25, 2025

Editor

The National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has dismissed claims that the party’s 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for Monday, June 30, 2025, has been postponed.

A statement signed by key members of the NWC on Wednesday also denied reports that Samuel Anyanwu has been reinstated as the party’s National Secretary.

The NWC said the statement comes in response to a press briefing earlier in the day by the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum.

DAILY POST reports that Damagum had announced the postponement of the NEC meeting and said Anyanwu is to resume as National Secretary.

Rejecting Damagum’s declarations, the NWC said his pronouncements were contrary to the resolution of the 99th NEC meeting, which scheduled the next NEC session for June 30 and referred all matters concerning the National Secretary’s office to that meeting.

“The pronouncements by the Acting National Chairman have no foundation as no organ of the Party (including the NWC), individual or group has the power to cancel, overrule, veto or vary the resolution of the National Executive Committee (NEC),” the statement read.

Citing Section 31 (3) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), the NWC emphasized that NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the party after the National Convention and that its resolutions are binding on all members and organs of the party.

The NWC described the announcement regarding Anyanwu’s resumption as “misleading” and reaffirmed that the matter remains under the jurisdiction of the forthcoming NEC meeting.

The statement was jointly signed by Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, Acting National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, National Treasurer, Ahmed Yayari Mohammed, National Auditor, Okechukwu Obiechina Daniel, and National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, among others.