Amaechi Unleashes Fresh Criticisms, Blasting Tinubu's Policies and Corruption Claims
Rotimi Amaechi, ADC Vice-Presidential candidate, has fiercely criticized President Bola Tinubu's administration, personally attributing his mother's death to Tinubu's economic policies and the resulting hardship. He further claimed that corruption is more overt under the current government, and asserted his own extensive political experience surpasses that of the President, highlighting widespread suffering among the poor.
Rotimi Amaechi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Vice-Presidential candidate, has recently voiced strong criticisms against President Bola Tinubu's administration, particularly concerning its economic policies and governance style. Amaechi made these assertions during an appearance on Channels Television’s 'Politics Today' programme.
A significant and deeply personal allegation made by Amaechi is that President Tinubu's policies directly contributed to the death of his mother. He stated that his mother was healthy before Tinubu assumed office, but the subsequent economic hardship, exacerbated by policies like the removal of the fuel subsidy, made it difficult for him to afford her necessary medication. Amaechi explicitly claimed, "The policies Tinubu introduced are killing people. I lost my mother because of the policies. We have lost people. President Tinubu’s policies killed my mother." He argued that while the fuel subsidy removal was intended to improve Nigerians' living conditions, it had instead worsened their hardship.
Beyond the personal tragedy, Amaechi has broadly criticized the current administration for its impact on the populace. He asserted that only a select "group of persons" are truly benefiting from the country's independence, with the majority of poor Nigerians continuing to suffer, a situation he believes has deteriorated "worse in Tinubu’s government." He even expressed skepticism that the wider wealthy class is broadly benefiting, suggesting the gains are concentrated among a very narrow elite.
Furthermore, Amaechi has not shied away from addressing the issue of corruption. While declaring himself uncorrupt, citing his long political career since 1987 without any arrest for graft, he maintained that corruption under President Tinubu's administration is more pronounced and overt than during the previous Muhammadu Buhari era. "Corruption then is not as bad as this, you know the difference, if you are corrupt you hide it but these people are not hiding it, it’s so glaring," he stated, challenging anyone to prove him corrupt and questioning why authorities have found it difficult to arrest him despite his extensive time in politics.
The former Rivers State governor also positioned himself as possessing more extensive governmental experience than President Tinubu. Amaechi highlighted his 23 years in public service, having served eight years as Speaker, eight years as Governor, and nearly eight years as a Minister. He contrasted this with Tinubu's political trajectory as a governor, senator, and now president, suggesting his broader experience across state and federal levels allows him to "discuss some of these issues more than the president before he became president." He added that now that Tinubu is president, he has more knowledge as "all the things are with him."
In an economic discussion, Amaechi also touched upon the issue of fuel prices, suggesting that excessively cheap fuel in Nigeria could incentivize smuggling of the product, thereby explaining some of the increase in consumption figures if consumption were to be audited to go below 700,000 units.