Amaechi Denies Offering Wike Finance Commissioner Role, Dismisses Allegations as “Mischievous

Former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, has firmly denied claims that he offered Nyesom Wike the position of Commissioner for Finance during his tenure as Governor of Rivers State. Speaking in a recent interview, Amaechi described the allegations as false and “mischievous innuendo,” distancing himself from what he called a deliberate attempt to misrepresent past events.

Addressing the claims, Amaechi stated, “It is not true that I called him. Wike asked me to make him Commissioner for Finance and I said no. He has to work under me. I wanted him as Chief of Staff so I could supervise him. I didn’t offer him Commissioner for Finance.”

Amaechi emphasized that his decision at the time was strategic, not dismissive. “Saying this man is not good enough for Commissioner for Finance — let him be Chief of Staff so I can supervise him — is a very mischievous innuendo. I don’t want to explain the nature of the innuendo; others can stretch it out.”

He added that his comments were not meant to incite controversy, noting, “I don’t want to join issues with children. I actually heard you this morning say, ‘Wike is not a child,’ but I would rather not talk about him.”

Amaechi clarified that Wike, as Chief of Staff, was serving the Rivers State government and not acting as his personal employee. “All of them were serving the state,” he said, explaining that many politicians lobby for appointments once they believe a candidate is likely to win an election.

The remarks come amid renewed political tensions and commentary regarding the power dynamics and history between the two political figures, who have since found themselves on opposing sides of Nigeria’s political spectrum.