The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has questioned the suitability of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, arguing that his past record raises questions about his moral standing to seek votes from Nigerians.
Addressing journalists during a media chat monitored by The News Chronicle, Wike criticised some political figures seeking elective offices despite allegations and controversies surrounding their records.
The FCT Minister took particular exception to Amaechi’s tenure as governor of Rivers State, alleging that he shut down the courts in the state for more than two years without justification.
According to him, such an action should remain a subject of scrutiny regardless of how long ago it occurred, particularly when the person involved is seeking the support of Nigerians for a top political office.
He said individuals facing allegations of questionable conduct should not be presenting themselves to Nigerians as candidates for public office.
The former Rivers state governor also referenced persons allegedly under the watch of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as well as former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva, whom he described as an alleged coup plotter, questioning why such individuals should be seeking Nigerians’ support for any public office.
The minister further criticised the participation and presence of some political stakeholders at a recent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference, arguing that certain individuals lacked the moral justification to be given a platform at the event.
“That was the worst conference hosted by the Nigerian Bar Association ever. How can you give a platform to someone who shut down the court for over two years when he was governor? It doesn’t matter how long such an incident happened,” Wike said.
He maintained that the passage of time should not erase questions about the conduct of public officials, insisting that Nigerians should scrutinise the records and character of those seeking their votes.
