Amaechi, Wike Clash Over Rising Medicine Costs and the Death of His Mother

The rising cost of medicines has become the centre of a political dispute in Rivers State after former governor Rotimi Amaechi said the cost of caring for his late mother became increasingly difficult under President Bola Tinubu's administration.

Amaechi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, said his mother had been healthy before Tinubu became president but that increasing medication costs later made it difficult for him to provide the drugs she needed.

His comments have since drawn a response from Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, who questioned Amaechi's explanation and criticised him for bringing his mother's death into political arguments.

Amaechi made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television's Politics Today on Friday, October 2, 2026.

According to multiple reports of the interview, Amaechi said the economic policies introduced by the Tinubu administration had made it difficult for him to afford his mother's medication.

“Tinubu's policies killed my mother. Before Tinubu came, my mother was healthy. After 2023, it was difficult for me to buy drugs for my mother,” Amaechi said.

The statement was made in the context of Amaechi's wider criticism of the government's economic reforms, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and their effect on the cost of living.

Amaechi's mother, Mary Amaechi, died on July 16, 2026, at the age of 89. Her death was announced by the family at the time.

She was buried in Ubima, Rivers State, on September 5, with several political figures attending the funeral.

Amaechi's account provides a personal example of the healthcare affordability issue he was discussing. He said the increasing cost of medicines affected his family's ability to care for his mother and argued that similar economic pressures were affecting other Nigerians.

However, his statement that Tinubu's policies caused his mother's death is an allegation by Amaechi. The reports reviewed do not establish an independent medical finding that government policy was the cause of her death.

Wike responded on Saturday while addressing members of the Uzugbani Ekpeye National Executive Council at Ekpeye House in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The FCT minister questioned how Amaechi, who previously served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation, could say he was unable to afford his mother's medication.

Wike also criticised Amaechi for referring to his mother's death during political arguments and said the deceased should be allowed to rest.

Wike's comments about Amaechi's financial circumstances and whether others could have helped with his mother's treatment are his own arguments and have not been independently established by the reports reviewed.

The dispute touches on a broader issue: the ability of families to pay for healthcare when the prices of medicines and other necessities rise.

For Amaechi, the issue is personal because he has connected his experience caring for his mother with his criticism of the government's economic policies. For other families, the wider question is whether increases in household expenses can make it harder to maintain regular medical treatment.

The political argument does not, by itself, establish how much Amaechi's mother's treatment cost, what medical condition she was receiving treatment for, or whether the cost of medication was medically responsible for her death.

Those distinctions are important when discussing individual deaths and healthcare costs.

The disagreement goes beyond the two politicians because the issue being debated is familiar to many households: the cost of obtaining medicines and maintaining healthcare during a period of economic pressure.

Amaechi's comments have placed that issue at the centre of a political debate, while Wike's response has shifted attention to personal responsibility and whether Amaechi could have obtained assistance elsewhere.

For the public, the important distinction is between a politician's account of his experience and independently established evidence about the medical cause of an individual's death.

The immediate development is a continuing public exchange between Wike and Amaechi over the impact of the Tinubu administration's economic policies.

Wike has rejected Amaechi's explanation and criticised his decision to connect his mother's death with the government's policies. Amaechi's original comments were made as part of his broader criticism of the administration's economic reforms.

No independent medical evidence establishing that government policy caused Mary Amaechi's death was identified in the reports reviewed.

At the centre of the political argument is a personal experience: a son describing difficulties he says his family faced while caring for his elderly mother.

The facts currently establish that Amaechi made the allegation and that Wike has strongly challenged it. The broader question of how economic conditions affect people's ability to afford healthcare remains separate from determining the medical cause of one person's death.