Amaechi dares Wike over Atiku's rally in Rivers

Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has dared the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Rivers State officials to provide a venue for an African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential campaign rally. He believes Atiku Abubakar will win Rivers State in the 2027 election.

Mr Amaechi, who is the ADC’s vice-presidential candidate, made this challenge during an interview on Mainland 98.3 FM’s The Situation Room on Friday, 6 November.

“Atiku will come to Rivers State. Tell them to give us a venue,” he said. He believes the opposition party’s supporters can fill a large venue.

His comments came before Saturday’s rally at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium. This event is organized by the Rainbow Coalition, which includes politicians from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who are supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

As PREMIUM TIMES reported earlier, Mr Wike’s coalition has endorsed the president and is backing candidates from both parties for other positions.

Mr Wike mentioned on Friday that they expect at least 70,000 people at the president’s rally. This figure is his estimate and has not been independently checked.

While inspecting the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, he noted the venue seats 40,000 people. This is more than the 16,000 capacity of the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, which the coalition used to unveil its candidates.

Mr Amaechi, who was governor from 2007 to 2015, did not say whether the ADC had formally asked for a campaign venue or if any venue had denied them access.

His challenge comes amid a history of disruptions for ADC events in the state.

In March, PREMIUM TIMES reported that suspected political thugs disrupted an ADC women’s meeting in Eleme Local Government Area. They destroyed equipment and chased away participants.

The report also mentioned a previous attack on the party’s ward secretariat in Ubima, which is Mr Amaechi’s hometown. Gunmen allegedly tried to block his convoy during a registration drive.

These incidents do not prove that the Rivers State Government denied the ADC access to any campaign venue.

Mr Wike and Mr Amaechi have been political opponents since Mr Wike took over as governor in 2015.

At the Rainbow Coalition’s unveiling in October, Mr Wike criticized Amaechi’s time in office. He questioned how Amaechi handled public projects and funds.

Mr Amaechi shared his latest comments during a broader interview on Mainland 98.3 FM. This discussion included the ADC leadership dispute, the 2027 presidential campaign, and the party’s economic plans.

PREMIUM TIMES asked Mr Amaechi for details on whether the ADC had formally requested a campaign venue in Rivers. They wanted to know which venue the party planned to use and if any requests were turned down.

His campaign spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, confirmed that these questions were sent to Mr Amaechi. A reply was still awaited at the time of this report.