The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, following the latter’s recent remarks about being "hungry."

During a media briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike countered Amaechi’s comments, asserting that the former Rivers State governor is not hungry for food, but for political power.

Amaechi, speaking at an event commemorating his 60th birthday last week, had reflected on the country’s economic challenges, saying:

“We’re all hungry, all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I am. For us in the opposition, if we want to remove the man in power, we can.”

He also criticized the political class, stating, “In Nigeria, there are no capitalist ideologies among politicians — it’s all about sharing.”

Responding sharply, Wike said:

“We don’t have time to entertain such nonsense. It’s surprising that Amaechi chose his 60th birthday to mislead Nigerians by claiming he’s hungry.
This is someone who served as Speaker from 1999 to 2007, Governor from 2007 to 2015, and Minister from 2015 to 2023 — and not once during those years did he mention hunger.
Now, suddenly, he’s 'hungry'? What he truly craves is power.”

Wike accused Amaechi of downplaying the serious issue of hunger in Nigeria for political gain and criticized his history of political alignments.

“He aligned with Atiku, now he’s speaking of hunger. It’s clear he can't survive outside power. From 1999 to 2023, he was in government. Now he’s claiming hunger?
As a campaign director, he couldn’t even secure 25% for Buhari in his own state.”

Wike further claimed that if the PDP had won in 2023, Amaechi would have sought to claim credit, but now he’s aligning with new political coalitions.

“Let them form their coalition and start at home in Rivers State. Let’s see how they plan to 'remove' the president — through a military coup? That term suggests dictatorship. Nigerians remember 2015.”

Wike concluded by distancing himself from being a political burden:

“I am not a liability. I’m an asset to President Tinubu’s administration and to his chances for re-election. People may not like me, but they can’t ignore my impact.”

Both Wike and Amaechi are prominent figures in Rivers State politics. Amaechi served two terms as governor between 2007 and 2015 and later became Minister of Transportation under President Muhammadu Buhari. He also led the Nigerian Governors’ Forum from 2011 to 2015 and had earlier served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007. He was the inaugural chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies in Nigeria.