ABUJA — The political confrontation between former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his former political ally, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, has intensified after Amaechi linked his mother’s death to the rising cost of medicines under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has also joined the controversy, attacking Amaechi over his claim that he struggled to afford medication for his late mother and questioning his financial circumstances outside public office.
Amaechi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 election, made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.
He said his mother had been healthy before Tinubu became President but that the rising cost of medicines after 2023 made it increasingly difficult for him to obtain the drugs she required.
“Tinubu’s policies killed my mother. Before Tinubu came, my mother was healthy. After 2023, it was difficult for me to buy drugs for my mother,” Amaechi said.
Amaechi’s comments triggered a response from Wike on Saturday while addressing members of the Uzugbani Ekpeye National Executive Council at Ekpeye House in Ahoada, Rivers State.
Wike challenged Amaechi’s claim by pointing to his former political associate’s long period in senior public office.
Amaechi served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007, Governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 and Minister of Transportation from 2015 to 2023.
Wike questioned how Amaechi, after 24 years in those positions, could say he was unable to afford medication for his mother.
He also criticised Amaechi for bringing his late mother into the political contest ahead of the 2027 election.
Wike referred to Amaechi’s reported statement that his mother would have been happy if the ADC won the election and argued that the deceased should not be drawn into political arguments.
The FCT Minister said Amaechi was using his mother’s death in political discourse and urged people to allow the deceased to rest in peace.
Wike has also used the latest confrontation to question Amaechi’s record during his 24 years in senior public office.
In a separate engagement with stakeholders in Rivers State, the FCT Minister challenged Amaechi over projects associated with his administration, including the Rivers State monorail and the Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital.
Wike also raised questions about spending on the projects, including reported figures of $39 million for the specialist hospital and N68 billion for the monorail. These are questions and claims raised by Wike and have not been established as findings of wrongdoing against Amaechi.
The APC subsequently entered the dispute on Sunday with a strongly worded statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka.
The ruling party expressed condolences over the death of Amaechi’s mother but then turned its attention to his financial claims.
The APC recalled Amaechi’s previous public comments about financial hardship and argued that someone who had spent decades in senior government positions should be able to sustain himself outside public office.
The party accused Amaechi of having depended excessively on public office and described him as a “loafer” and “aimless” outside government.
It also questioned his bid to become Vice President under the ADC, arguing that his own account of his financial circumstances raised questions about his suitability for another senior public office.
“The presidency is not a soup kitchen and will not be a soup kitchen for Rotimi Amaechi,” the APC said.
The exchange has therefore moved beyond the original argument over the cost of medicines into a wider political confrontation over Amaechi’s record in public office, his personal financial claims and his decision to seek national office again in 2027.
Amaechi’s mother, Dame Ezinne Mary Oduah Amaechi, died in July 2026 at the age of 89 and was buried in September in Ubima, Rivers State.
The ADC has also reacted to the APC’s statement, accusing the ruling party of turning a family tragedy into political ammunition and defending Amaechi’s account of the difficulties he faced in providing medical care for his mother.
The competing responses have placed Amaechi’s comments at the centre of a fresh political battle involving the ADC, APC and Wike, with the 2027 presidential contest increasingly providing the backdrop for the exchanges.
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