Wike Hits Back at Amaechi Over Claim That Tinubu’s Policies Caused Mother’s Death

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has criticised former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi after the African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate linked the death of his mother to the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Amaechi made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he argued that rising healthcare costs under the Tinubu administration had made it difficult for him to afford the medication his mother needed. He said his mother had been healthy before Tinubu became President but that the increasing cost of medicines after 2023 made her treatment more difficult to sustain. “Because policies are killing people. I’ve lost my mother,” Amaechi said during the interview. He subsequently confirmed that he was directly attributing her death to the policies of the Tinubu administration. Wike, reacting to the remarks at a political gathering in Rivers State on Saturday, challenged Amaechi's argument and questioned why the former governor had not been able to obtain financial assistance to pay for his mother's treatment. Wike questions Amaechi's claim Wike pointed to Amaechi's lengthy career in public office, noting that he served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, governor of Rivers State and later Minister of Transportation. He questioned how someone who had occupied those positions could say he was unable to obtain the money required to purchase medication for his mother. The FCT minister also referred to Amaechi's comments about his wife being an industrialist and questioned why other members of the former governor's family could not have assisted with the medical expenses. Wike further referred to associates whom he said had the financial capacity to help, asking why they could not have contributed towards the treatment while Amaechi's mother was alive. The FCT minister also criticised what he regarded as the use of a family tragedy in political arguments ahead of the 2027 general elections. He questioned why Amaechi would bring his late mother into a political debate and said parents should be treated with respect regardless of political differences. Amaechi's criticism of Tinubu's reforms Amaechi's comments formed part of a broader criticism of the economic policies implemented by Tinubu since he assumed office in May 2023. During the Channels Television interview, he questioned the impact of the removal of the petrol subsidy and asked where the savings from the policy had gone. He argued that the purpose of subsidy removal was to improve Nigerians' welfare but said many citizens were yet to feel the benefits. Amaechi also pointed to the rising cost of medicines and Nigeria's dependence on imported pharmaceutical products as part of his criticism of the government's economic direction. He said the economic pressures created by higher prices had affected families trying to provide healthcare for elderly relatives. His comments were therefore presented as his personal account of the difficulties his family experienced while caring for his mother. They do not, on their own, establish a medical or causal link between government policy and her death. Amaechi's mother died in July Amaechi's mother, Dame Ezinne Mary Amaechi, died in July 2026 at the age of 89. The family announced her death on July 16, describing her as a devoted Christian, community leader and respected matriarch. Several political leaders, including Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party figure Peter Obi, sent condolence messages following her death. Tinubu described her as a woman whose life was marked by faith, sacrifice and service. Her burial later brought several political figures to Ubima in Rivers State in September. Atiku, Obi, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Senate President David Mark and other political figures attended the burial ceremony. Wike was absent from the funeral and attended a separate reception organised in his honour in the state on the same day. The separate events underscored the continuing political rivalry surrounding the two former Rivers governors. Political rivalry continues Wike and Amaechi have been political rivals in Rivers State for years, and their differences have remained relevant as politicians position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections. Amaechi is currently the ADC's vice-presidential candidate, while Wike remains a member of President Tinubu's Federal Executive Council. Their latest disagreement has therefore emerged against a wider political contest over the performance of the Tinubu administration and the direction of the opposition ahead of 2027. Wike's response focused on challenging Amaechi's explanation for his mother's medical difficulties and accusing him of bringing the death into political discussions. Amaechi, meanwhile, has maintained that the rising cost of medication under Tinubu contributed to the difficulty his family experienced in caring for his mother. The two positions represent opposing political interpretations of the impact of the administration's economic reforms. There is, however, an important distinction between Amaechi's allegation and an established medical finding: the available reports document his claim that the cost of medication contributed to his mother's death, but do not establish independently that Tinubu's policies were the medical cause of her death. As the 2027 political contest develops, the exchange adds another dimension to the long-running rivalry between Wike and Amaechi, with economic policy, healthcare costs and the performance of the current administration increasingly becoming subjects of political debate.