Former transportation minister and 2027 presidential aspirant Rotimi Amaechi has issued a blunt warning: Nigerian leaders will keep stealing public funds until the people demand accountability.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Friday, Amaechi revisited a controversial remark he once made as Rivers State governor at a ceremony hosted by Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka — that politicians would not stop stealing unless Nigerians literally “stone” them.
“The politicians are impoverishing Nigerians,” he said, while distancing himself from the pattern of misconduct he described. “Governance is slowly dying, and it’s quite painful.”
Amaechi acknowledged that some governors have made genuine contributions to their states, but insisted the broader system is in decline and that citizens must wake up and demand better.
The 2027 Race
Beyond the candid critique, Amaechi had a pointed message for the African Democratic Congress (ADC): pick him.
Gunning for the party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections, he positioned himself as the field’s most qualified and electable contender — citing a résumé that spans Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term governor of Rivers State, chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and Minister of Transportation.
“Those roles have prepared me for national leadership,” he argued.
He faces stiff competition within the ADC, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Northern Nigeria Development Company chief Mohammed Hayatu-Deen. But Amaechi believes his combination of executive experience and relative youth gives him the edge.
Whether Nigerians agree or reach for the metaphorical stones he once described remains to be seen.
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