Political parties in Nigeria have reacted differently to former Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi’s claim that politicians in the country are only interested in stealing, killing, and holding onto power.
Amaechi made the statement at a two-day national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, where he criticized politicians and warned young people not to expect power to be handed to them.
Speaking at the event, Amaechi accused Nigerian politicians of using deception and violence to maintain control. He also said voters allow politicians to get away with corruption because they have a short memory.
Amaechi said, “The politician is there in Nigeria to steal, to maim, to kill, and to remain in power. If you think Tinubu will give it to you, you are wasting your time.”
He argued that President Bola Tinubu and other political leaders would not willingly hand over power to the younger generation, adding that Nigerian voters often fall for political tricks.
The Labour Party (LP) backed Amaechi’s claims, agreeing that Nigerian politicians focus on power instead of good governance. However, the party criticized the former minister for failing to act when he was in power.
The LP National Youth Leader, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, said, “Amaechi is not far from the truth. We have failed to build strong political institutions. What we have are political agitators coming together to hijack power.”
He argued that Nigerian politicians form alliances to remove opponents rather than promote good governance.
He added, “That is why, once they take power, they lose strategy and don’t know how to manage the economy.”
Ahanotu also condemned the trend of politicians installing their family members in key positions.
He questioned, “We have seen governors finish their tenure and bring their son-in-law to be the next governor. But why don’t they see these problems until they leave power?”
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) took a cautious approach, suggesting that Amaechi was misunderstood.
Bala Ibrahim, APC’s National Publicity Director, said power is not given freely but must be earned.
“You have to work for it. In democracy, you get it via the power of the ballot, not the bullet,” he said.
Ibrahim dismissed the claim that Tinubu would never allow young people to lead, pointing out that the president had already appointed many young people to important government positions.
He said, “President Tinubu has always encouraged and supported the youth. Look at the distribution of positions in his cabinet. We have young men and women in key roles.”
He urged young people to actively participate in politics rather than wait for power to be handed to them.
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Ibrahim added, “Amaechi should be motivating the youth to aspire for leadership instead of making it seem like they have no hope.”
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dismissed Amaechi’s remarks, calling him a political opportunist who should not be taken seriously.
PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, criticized Amaechi’s record in office, saying he lacked the moral authority to speak about political integrity.
Osadolor said, “When morality and competence are being discussed, Amaechi should stay out of the conversation.”
He accused Amaechi of mismanaging public funds during his time as Rivers State governor and as Minister of Transport.
Osadolor claimed, “With the billions invested in railways under his watch, Nigeria should have had high-speed trains. Instead, we got a weak system that failed the test of time.”
He also accused Amaechi of using government resources for his personal ambitions, saying, “This is a man who spent taxpayers’ money to chase a presidential dream that failed because even his own party saw through him.”
Osadolor concluded that Amaechi had no credibility to lecture others about governance. “Whenever I think of Amaechi, I remember the billions misused under his leadership, not anything positive he achieved,” he said.