- Safiu Kehinde
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has slammed former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over his claim that the President Bola Tinubu’s policies are responsible for the death of his mother, Madam Mary Amaechi.
NPO Reported that Amaechi had in an interview on Channels TV’ Politics Today programme on Friday alleged that the economic hardship under the Tinubu-led administration made him unable to buy drugs for his mother.
The vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the 2027 general elections also said that the only thing that could make his late mother rest well was for the ADC to win the elections.
Reacting on Saturday, Wike accused Amaechi of politicising his mother’s death.
The FCT minister stated this at an interactive meeting with the Uzugbani Ekpeye National Executive Council, leaders and stakeholders of Ahoada East and Ahoada West Local Government Areas at Ekpeye House, Ahoada, Rivers State.
Wike described the comments as an attempt to exploit the death of a loved one for political purposes.
He said Amaechi should not blame Tinubu for his inability to provide medication for his mother.
“I think we should respect the dead, but anybody who watched television last night will cry when somebody is bringing his own mother to play politics. He had a mother that we thought should be resting peacefully.
“In one of the videos, he said, if ADC wins the election, his mother will be very happy. So the only condition is that your mother will not be happy if ADC does not win. Too bad. She will not be happy because ADC will not win,” Wike said.
The minister questioned how Amaechi, who served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly for eight years, governor for eight years and Minister of Transportation for another eight years, could claim that the Tinubu administration’s policies prevented him from buying drugs for his sick mother.
“Again, he said it was the Tinubu administration that made him not to be able to buy drugs for his mother. He was a speaker for eight years, from 1999 to 2007.
“He was a governor for eight years, from 2007 to 2015, and a minister for eight years, from 2015 to 2023.
“And your mother was sick, and you are telling the world that because of the policy of Tinubu, you couldn’t buy drugs for your mother and so your mother died,” he said.
Wike also questioned how Amaechi, whose friends allegedly arrived in private jets for his mother’s burial, could not ask them for her medical expenses.
“Yet, at your mother’s burial, look at the people who came with private jets to bury a woman whom you could not buy drugs for because you were taking care of other people.
“You couldn’t take care of your mother because you had to take care of other people. Yet, you didn’t know that you have friends who have private jets who would come down to bury a mother who you could not buy drugs for her to survive.” He said.
The minister thereafter said that Amaechi could not use his mother’s death to attract sympathy from Rivers voters ahead of the 2027 elections.
“You think that people will pity you. Nobody will pity you because people know you are telling lies,” he said.
