Rotimi Amaechi and Nyesom Wike have reignited their decade-long political feud in a fiery exchange that has set the tone for a turbulent lead-up to the 2027 general elections. At the centre of this political storm is hunger—both literal and metaphorical—as Amaechi declares the opposition is starving under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, while Wike insists the only thing his former boss craves is power.
Speaking during his 60th birthday lecture on June 3 in Abuja, themed “Weaponization of Poverty”, Amaechi didn’t mince words: “We are all hungry. All of us are. If you are not hungry, I am… If you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him.” The former Transport Minister’s bold rhetoric has been interpreted as a battle cry from the opposition coalition forming against Tinubu.
Wike, now FCT Minister and self-appointed leader of Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign, slammed Amaechi’s comments during a media briefing on June 4. “He was Speaker, Governor, Minister—so when exactly did he discover hunger? He is not hungry for food. He is hungry for relevance,” Wike said, ridiculing Amaechi’s political ambitions and questioning his sincerity.
The clash between these two political giants is more than ideological; it’s deeply personal. Amaechi, in a counterattack on Arise TV, dismissed Wike as “a child,” recalling how he deliberately positioned Wike under his supervision as Chief of Staff in Rivers State. “I didn’t trust him with the finance ministry. I needed to keep an eye on him,” Amaechi claimed, further inflaming tensions.
Their bitter rivalry, which dates back to 2012, is rooted in a power tussle over Rivers State. Both men hail from the Ikwerre region—Amaechi from Ubima and Wike from Rumueprikon—and have spent over two decades entangled in a volatile dance of alliance and betrayal. Wike once fought to secure Amaechi’s mandate in 2007; today, he fights to destroy what remains of his political legacy.
Reactions to Wike’s latest jabs have been fierce. Media veteran Reuben Abati condemned Wike’s tone as “disrespectful,” insisting Amaechi remains his political father. But Wike’s camp, led by SSA Lere Olayinka, fired back: “When Amaechi fled to Ghana in 2007, it was Wike who stayed back and fought. So who made who?” The war of words has now engulfed both camps, dragging old scars into the open once again.
Legal analyst Maduabuchi Idam suggests this feud may have less to do with ideology and more to do with power and control over Rivers’ vast resources. “If both men were offered joint control of the state’s wealth today, they’d unite by morning,” he noted. Whether bitter enemies or reluctant allies, Amaechi and Wike remain two sides of a coin that will shape Nigeria’s 2027 election drama.
