Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transport and two-term governor of Rivers State, recently marked his 60th birthday.
Known for his pivotal role in Nigerian opposition politics, particularly the rise of the APC in 2015, Amaechi spoke candidly in a monitored interview about politics, electoral reform, state capture, poverty, and his views on the current political terrain.
Amaechi started by addressing the politics around his rise to governorship.
“Nobody made me a governor but God, Dr. Peter Odili, and the Nigerian judiciary.”
He added, “I went to court. Lateef Fagbemi was my lawyer. He’s now the Attorney General of the Federation. Maybe you should ask him.”
He also denied claims about offering Wike the position of Commissioner for Finance, clarifying, “I want him as Chief of Staff so that I can supervise him.”
Asked if this supervision meant Wike was renegade, Amaechi insisted, “No. It’s a governor supervising his staff.”
He urged to “Discuss my 60th birthday, let’s move forward.”
Reflecting on his achievements, Amaechi expressed gratitude: “Every time I speak, I seem to want to first thank God, then I thank Dr. Peter Odili and his wife for the role they played in my life… God used this man to bless me.” He credited the 2015 APC victory to the transparency under then-INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega, saying, “If the current Chairman of INEC was the Chairman of the electoral body in 2015, we would not have won.”
On his performance as governor, he challenged critics, “I’m prepared to ask you to open your phone and call people from Rivers State.”
He noted his infrastructure projects: “I built six flyovers… I built primary schools also. Let any other governor who has built more primary schools come forward.” Sadly, he lamented the neglect of his projects after leaving office: “Abandoned! Vandalized… That’s why I don’t go to Rivers State because it gives you mental disorder.”
He highlighted other accomplishments: “I began and completed the railway from Lagos to Ibadan… I began and completed the Lekki Deep Seaport… I commenced the construction of Kano-Kaduna Railway… I started the Kano-Maradi Railway, and it’s going on.”
On personal legacy, he recalled his son’s advice: “If you do something that rubs off on the name Amaechi, then it affects all of us.”
Amaechi reflected on Nigeria’s electoral system: “Looking at the way Nigeria had run elections… there was a lot of transparency and you were sure of what was going on.”
He criticized the current INEC leadership: “The current man, if you complied with all the requirements, he would not register you. Already INEC is biased.” He accused INEC of “state capture using the electoral institution as a machine.”
When asked about electoral reform, he said, “I wish the National Assembly could amend the Constitution and allow Jega to remain there until we are able to get electoral reform right.” He warned, “If there is no electoral reform, then there has to be a man of conscience.”
Amaechi also criticized INEC’s party registration practices: “They’re not allowing the opposition to register political parties… INEC has taken sides. INEC is no longer the umpire.”
Amaechi was just 34 when he became Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
He recalled, “The process was a bit more transparent than you have now… The judiciary was given their due respect.” He spoke of managing a strong opposition and working toward results for the state.
Asked about his motivation for joining politics, Amaechi described his education reforms: “We ran a free and compulsory education… We expanded by building more schools and more classrooms.”
He noted improvements in health care, including hiring more doctors and providing cars and housing for health workers.
Sadly, he observed the decay of many of these projects: “I wish you can take a tour… Why do you think it’s no longer there?”
When asked about his shift away from the APC, Amaechi said, “I’m grateful to Buhari for the opportunity to be the director general of the campaign… But outside that, I don’t want to talk about the APC or the opposition alliance.”
On the 2027 elections and opposition coalition, he said, “Before we can even start, the INEC Chairman has ruled out the registration of a new party… So supposing we come together and we have no party?”
Regarding the state of emergency in Rivers State, Amaechi argued, “The president was not right… the Constitution does not give the president the power to suspend any governor.”
Amaechi stressed, “This militancy could be found in every part of the country because it has to do with poverty… Politicians have weaponized poverty. It’s unintended.”
He questioned government spending: “Where’s the money the president saved from the removal of fuel subsidy? The president removed the subsidy… where’s the money?”
Amaechi declared, “I’m an Ikwerre man… If you ask an Ikwerre man ‘who you are’, he will say ‘I’m an Ikwerre man’.” He acknowledged minority views including his own.
“There’s a very tiny minority that accepts they are Igbo which includes me.” He explained his political stance, “I didn’t like the way the Igbo were being treated… and in protest, I began to wear the ‘Isi Agu’ Igbo traditional wear with red cap.”
