Former Minister of Works and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has openly admitted that he and fellow opposition politicians are feeling the same economic hardship as ordinary Nigerians, stating that hunger is driving their political resolve.
Speaking at his birthday lecture in Abuja on Saturday, Mr. Amaechi made a passionate call for unity among the opposition to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“We are all hungry. All of us are. If you are not hungry, I am. So, for us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power – Tinubu – we can remove him from this power,” Amaechi said, addressing a gathering that included notable political figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The birthday lecture doubled as a strategic meeting for opposition forces exploring the possibility of forming a united front against President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
Reflecting on his activism days, Amaechi reminded the audience of the solidarity that once transcended ethnic and religious lines during nationwide protests against military rulers.
He referenced the campaigns against General Ibrahim Babangida and General Muhammadu Buhari, emphasizing that collective action had always been the key to political change.
Joining the call for political re-alignment, Mr. El-Rufai, a one-time ally and key campaigner for Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, did not mince words about his dissatisfaction with the current administration.
“Nigeria is in its biggest trouble since 1914, and that is why we are together working and conspiring to build a coalition to take Nigeria back on track because it is off track,” El-Rufai stated.
He took his criticism a step further, describing the current government as being run by “urban bandits.”
“It has turned to this level because we have allowed bandits, not the ones in the bushes but the ones in the urban areas called the urban bandits, to take over leadership,” he added.
