By Sandra Kenneth
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rivers State Chapter, has strongly faulted recent statements attributed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who claimed former Governor Rotimi Amaechi is unfit for the vice presidency over the two-year closure of courts during his tenure as governor.
In a statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary, Chizy Enyi, the party described Wike’s remarks as misleading and a classic example of political hypocrisy.
Clarifying the historical context of the court shutdown, Enyi explained that the judicial crisis was a complex national dilemma involving multiple arms of government and the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the conflicting appointments of Justice Peter Agumagu and Justice Daisy Okocha as Chief Judge. He noted that isolating Amaechi without accounting for the constitutional stalemate between judicial stakeholders is dishonest.
Countering Wike’s stance on judicial and democratic institutions, the ADC spokesperson cited the FCT Minister’s alleged advocacy for a State of Emergency in Rivers State under President Bola Tinubu, warning that such a declaration would naturally dismantle all democratic organs, including the judiciary, legislature, and executive.
“How can a political actor who advocated for the total shutdown of an entire state’s democratic processes turn around to portray himself as a defender of the judiciary?” Enyi questioned.
The ADC further highlighted actions from Wike’s own tenure as Rivers Governor, citing the withdrawal of state scholarship students from overseas universities, the disbandment of local traffic agencies, the sacking of demonstration school teachers, prolonged stagnation of civil service promotions, and the non-compliance with select court orders.
Defending the former Minister of Transportation, the ADC noted that Amaechi’s 16-year record as governor and federal minister is defined by visible infrastructure, adding that the electorate will evaluate public figures based on tangible achievements rather than rhetoric.
Concluding the statement, the ADC called for consistency in political discourse, asserting that voters will judge candidates in the 2027 elections by their complete governance records rather than political soundbites.
