Wike: Amaechi unfit to be Nigeria’s vice-president… he once shut down courts

By Chris Steven

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers, is unfit to serve as Nigeria’s vice-president.

Amaechi, former minister of transportation, is currently the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Party (ADC), where former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is the presidential candidate.

Speaking on Wednesday during his monthly media chat in Port Harcourt, the former Rivers state governor spared no words as he took aim at both Amaechi and the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Wike reiterated that anyone who once shut down courts is fundamentally unfit to serve as Nigeria’s vice-president.

The FCT minister urged Nigerians to critically examine the past actions of political figures claiming to champion democracy and the rule of law before trusting them with high office.

“Rotimi Amaechi, who wants to be vice-president today, once shut down the courts in Rivers state and caused a pregnant woman to give birth in prison,” Wike said.

He argued that such precedents should automatically disqualify political aspirants from occupying sensitive executive positions, emphasizing that a track record of undermining the judiciary cannot be brushed aside.

Wike further broadened his critique to target the NBA, accusing the legal body of abandoning its historic role as an impartial defender of justice and constitutionalism in favor of partisan politics.

“The Nigerian Bar Association has now taken sides politically. They are now a political party,” Wike declared.

He maintained that the association ought to remain an independent institution dedicated to upholding the rule of law, rather than serving as an arena for political contests or offering platforms that amount to partisan endorsements.