Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, accusing him of being “hungry for power, not food,” following Amaechi’s recent comments on Nigeria’s economic hardship.

Amaechi, while speaking at his 60th birthday celebration last week, decried the state of the economy, saying: “We’re all hungry, all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I am.

For us in the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power.”

The former governor also criticised the Nigerian political class, claiming, “In Nigeria, there are no capitalist ideas among the politicians; it’s about sharing.”

However, Wike, who succeeded Amaechi as governor of Rivers State, dismissed the comment during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.

“We have no time to listen to nonsense in Nigeria,” Wike said. “I don’t understand why a man like Amaechi would choose his 60th birthday to lie to Nigerians about being hungry.”

Highlighting Amaechi’s long history in government, Wike questioned his sincerity.

“He was Speaker from 1999 to 2007, Governor from 2007 to 2015, and Minister from 2015 to 2023. He never spoke about hunger during those years. Why now?” the FCT Minister asked.

Wike went on to suggest that Amaechi’s comments were motivated by a desire to return to power rather than genuine concern for the people.

“Now they are regrouping. They are only hungry for power. This shows his failure,” Wike stated.

“How can you trivialise the issue of hunger? He joined Atiku and claimed hunger. It is clear he cannot stay out of power.

”He also took a jab at Amaechi’s political performance, referencing the 2019 elections.

“From 1999 to 2023, Amaechi stood before Nigerians and claimed hunger. He was a former governor who couldn’t secure even 25% for Buhari during elections, despite being the campaign DG,” Wike said.

Wike further praised himself as a political asset, aligning with President Bola Tinubu and dismissing suggestions of instability.

“I am not a liability; I am an asset. You may dislike me, but I am an asset in ensuring President Tinubu wins a second term,” he declared.

Commenting on Amaechi’s statement about “removing” those in power, Wike warned against what he described as inciting rhetoric.

“Let’s see how he plans to remove the president. Is it a military coup? The term ‘removal’ is synonymous with dictatorship or military coup.

“Nigerians remember what happened in 2015, and now he claims Nigerians are hungry,” he said.

Both Wike and Amaechi have had a storied rivalry, having served consecutively as governors of Rivers State.

While Amaechi was a two-term governor and later Minister of Transportation under Muhammadu Buhari, Wike served as Minister of State for Education and later became governor from 2015 to 2023 before joining the Tinubu administration.