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Political parties in the country have expressed divergent opinions on the recent comments of former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi that Nigerian politicians are in power to steal, kill, and retain power.
Amaechi made the remark at a two-day National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria held earlier this week, aimed at discussing pathways to good governance and political integrity in Nigeria.
According to him, Nigerian voters are easily swayed and influenced by political rhetoric and inducements from public officeholders.
He said, “All we have here is typical of Nigerians. They will be clapping. That’s why politicians get away with anything. They get away with murder because they have a short memory. None of you here can defend the votes.
“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. When we speak, we forget history.”
The former Rivers governor further said President Bola Tinubu and other members of the political class would not cede power to the younger generation.
“Before the election of the last president, a lot of us were called to intervene. Why did they do that? The people were ready to die. You’re talking and abusing everybody; nobody has power and will give to you. Not even me. If you want a pastor as president, go and get one,” he stated.
Reacting, the leadership of the Labour Party backed Amaechi, saying he aptly captured the situation in the country.
The National Youth Leader of LP, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, however, scolded the former governor for not addressing the same concerns he raised when he was in power.
He said, “From what he said, Amaechi is not far from the truth. We have failed to build political institutions. Over the years, what we have been having in Nigeria are political agitators coming together to hijack power and not through political institutions. That is why it is always difficult for them to let go of power.
If there is a political institution that is very strong with ideological principles, it will be difficult for you not to leave after being in power for a particular duration. There are templates to check your key performance indices. But the purpose of the coming up of ACN, CPC, nPDP and APGA was to pursue Jonathan from power.
It is not an ideology for good governance. That was why the moment they took power, they lost the strategy and no longer had the idea of how to manage the economy and the government. That is what is happening. So what Amaechi said is correct.
We have seen a situation whereby a governor who finishes his tenure will bring his son-in-law to be the next governor. He will buy tickets for House of Assembly members, state chairmen and even councillors. One only wonders why they don’t see these anomalies until they are out of government.
However, the ruling All Progressives Congress took a conservative approach to the matter.
In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, the National Publicity Director of the APC, Bala Ibrahim, insisted that power cannot be given on a platter of gold,
“You have to work for it. In democracy, you get it via the power of the ballot and not the power of the bullet. I’m sure Amaechi is talking in the line that people, including the youth, must work towards getting power. If they are expecting power to be given to them on a platter of gold, while they are sitting in the comfort of their rooms or their zones, they are getting it wrong.
“But democracy encourages competition. That is why we have opposition. And the youth of today are expected to be the old generation of tomorrow, and they will be the leaders. Since we are talking about constitutional democracy, we are looking at people aspiring legitimately to positions.
“When they get those positions, they use them to improve the value of their future. So I believe Anechi needs to ginger the youth to aspire to positions. But let them not expect that position to come and meet them. They have to work for it.
“Again, President Tinubu has always encouraged and supported the youth. You can even see it in the distribution of positions in his cabinet. We have gotten a lot of young men and women in key positions. So to say Tinubu will not give power to the youth, I think, is to read the wrong meaning to his intentions or actions.”
Similarly, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party has described Amaechi as a profiteer who should not be taken seriously in public discourse.
In an exclusive phone chat with our correspondent, the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, insisted that Amaechi does not have the moral rectitude to speak on integrity following his abysmal performance in office both as Rivers State governor and as Minister of Transportation in the last administration.
He stated, “When morality and competencies are being discussed, Rotimi Amaechi should avoid such conversations. As a governor, we saw what he did in Rivers State, and we also saw what he did as Minister for Transportation in this country.
“Now, with billions invested in railways in this country under his watch, we would have had at least high-speed trains. At the cost of high-speed trains, Amaechi gave Nigerians a train system that could not withstand the test of time. This is a man who amassed billions of taxpayers’ money that he used to pursue his personal ambition, which crashed because the people and even his party saw him for who he was—a profiteer.
“So, I don’t think this man should be the one presiding over who is right and who is wrong in politics because he has no locus whatsoever to discuss public office or individuals. This is a man who was given the opportunity to make a name for himself. Rather, he chose the path of ignominy.
“Today, when we think of Ameachi, personally, I think about the billions of Naira that were misused under his watch, not what he did, because I can’t remember what he did.”
