The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi of causing a pregnant woman to give birth in prison after the state’s judiciary was shut down during his administration.
Wike made the allegation on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, during his monthly media chat with selected journalists, while criticising the Nigerian Bar Association for giving Amaechi a platform at its 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
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Amaechi, who governed Rivers State from 2007 to 2015, attended the NBA conference in Port Harcourt in August, where he represented former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at a panel session.
Wike questioned the decision to provide Amaechi with a platform at a gathering of legal practitioners, citing what he described as the former governor’s record on the judiciary.
“Rotimi Amaechi, who wants to be vice president today, once shut down the court in Rivers State and made a pregnant woman to give birth in the prison,” Wike alleged.
The FCT minister argued that political figures who had previously undermined the judiciary should not be celebrated or given opportunities to defend their records without scrutiny.
He said the situation would be unacceptable if, as FCT minister, he attempted to order the closure of courts in Abuja.
“If I’m sitting today as minister of the FCT, who is seen as governor of the FCT, and I call for court to shut down,” Wike said, such an action should not be treated as something that could simply be defended on a public platform.
The allegation is not entirely new.
Wike has repeatedly accused Amaechi of shutting down the Rivers judiciary for an extended period while he was governor.
In 2020, Wike made a similar claim, saying a pregnant woman who was due to be granted bail was detained when the courts were shut and subsequently gave birth in prison.
The dispute over the Rivers judiciary dates back to Amaechi’s final years in office.
Contemporary and later accounts have linked the prolonged closure of the courts to a dispute over the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge.
A Centre for Democracy and Development report said the courts remained shut for the final two years of Amaechi’s tenure because of the unresolved judicial leadership dispute.
Wike has previously described the episode as a “coup” against the judiciary, arguing that shutting the courts denied residents access to justice and left disputes without the normal judicial avenue for resolution.
The latest exchange comes amid the renewed political rivalry between the two former Rivers governors as Nigeria’s 2027 elections approach.
Amaechi, who served as transportation minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari, is now associated with the African Democratic Congress and has emerged as the party’s vice-presidential candidate alongside Atiku.
His appearance at the NBA conference in Port Harcourt underscored his continued involvement in national opposition politics, while Wike remains a member of the President Bola Tinubu administration despite his political differences with several figures in the opposition camp.
The bitter history between Wike and Amaechi has repeatedly resurfaced around the judiciary, governance and development in Rivers State.
Wike has previously challenged Amaechi to identify major projects he delivered for Rivers after becoming a federal minister, while Amaechi has criticised successive administrations over governance and insecurity in the state.
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The latest allegation therefore adds another sharp chapter to a political feud that has endured for more than a decade, with the judiciary once again at the centre of the dispute.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
