The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said that the leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress made it clear from the beginning that former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, would not have a fair chance of securing the party’s 2027 presidential ticket.

Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike described the party arrangement as “Atiku’s set-up 100 per cent,” insisting that the composition of the ADC leadership predetermined the outcome of the primary.

According to him, he would have advised Amaechi against joining the race if he had been consulted, saying the process lacked transparency from the outset.

“Amaechi is my brother. I served as Chief of Staff in his government. When I saw that he was running with them, I knew what would happen. If he had called me, I would have said, ‘Don’t go there,’” Wike said.

He argued that the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as ADC chairman signalled that the process would favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

“When I saw the setup in ADC and saw David Mark there, I laughed. That set-up was Atiku’s set-up 100 per cent,” he added.

Wike further stated that Amaechi misread the political environment and was influenced by criticism of the Tinubu administration into joining the contest.

“I think my brother made a mistake. He was too much in a hurry. He was carried away by people shouting that this government is not doing well,” he said.

The minister also revisited past grievances from the PDP’s 2022 presidential primary, accusing David Mark of failing to ensure fairness in the process that produced Atiku as the party’s candidate.

His comments follow Amaechi’s rejection of the ADC presidential primary outcome, which he described as “concocted,” alleging irregularities and lack of transparency in the exercise.

Despite the objections, the ADC declared Atiku the winner of the primary with 1,846,370 votes, while Amaechi polled 504,117 votes and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.

Atiku has since met separately with Amaechi and other contenders in a move aimed at reconciling aggrieved members and strengthening party unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.