What I would have done to Tinubu if I were a governor now– Amaechi
Former governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi has described the reticence of current Nigerian state-governors in the face of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as regrettable.
The former governor who led five People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governors against Goodluck Jonathan in 2014, contributing to Jonathan’s reelection defeat in 2015, decried the lack of actions and patriotism from the current State-governors of the federation. He claimed that the lack of action from the governors has resulted in president Bola Ahmed Tinubu being so powerful and unquestionable.
Rotimi Amaechi who spoke at former governor Sule Lamido’s book launch yesterday, recalled how he championed some state-governors including governor Sule Lamido to stand against Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. According him, while he had reached an agreement with Sule Lamido and other governors for them to defect from the then fractionalized PDP in protest against Goodluck Jonathan leadership style, Sule Lamido whom he said is not as radical as himself, would later choose not to join the newly formed All Progressive Congress (APC) but would form a new political party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Former governor Rotimi Amaechi boasted that were he and Sule Lamido state-governors in this president Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s era, he as well as Sule Lamido would not be reticent over president Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership style which has resulted in economic hardship and insecurity.
Recall that Rotimi Amaechi was the chairman of the Nigeria’s governor’ forum in 2014 when Goodluck Jonathan sought reelection. Rotimi Amaechi despite his ethnic and regional link with Goodluck Jonathan, rebelled against the PDP leadership by forming a pressure group named New-PDP (n-PDP) which comprised five PDP governors that would later join a coalition of political parties that birthed the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Due to his pivotal role in the APC’s presidential election victory in 2015, Rotimi Amaechi would become an important member of president Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, occupying the position of minister of transportation across the two tenure of president Muhammadu Buhari.
At the end of president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Rotimi Amaechi sought to succeed Buhari in 2023 but was beaten to the APC’s presidential ticket by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State who would later win the Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.
His recent remark about state-governors lacking the wherewithal to challenge president Bola Ahmed Tinubu and hold him to account, comes amid defection galore of opposition parties political figures comprising governors and lawmakers who are joining the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
This unprecedented political realignment has made many wonder if the country would become a one party state as the opposition parties who are currently being betrayed by politicians elected on their platforms, are also grappling with internal leadership crisis; crisis which the ruling party is accused of instigating and maintaining with the aim of weakening the opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While there are known efforts by political figures such as former vice president Atiku Abubakar and former governor Nasir El-rufai to consolidate the opposition parties into a coalition, this move is also being frustrated and yet to materialize.
