Politics
Amaechi And Rape Of Democracy In Rivers
Where is the limit of political ambition? Rivers State has been in the news in recent times for the wrong reasons. The state which has enjoyed relative peace in the last four years was suddenly invaded with an oppressive and vicious culture of political violence driven by one man’s ambition.
The clear abuse of apparatus of the Nigerian state to torment and compel the electorate, and offials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do contrary to the expressed will of the people at the ballot box, is not only criminal but, is highly condemnable.
This culture of do-or-die politics in Rivers State weaves around the inordinate ambition of Honourable Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to become the emperor and lord of the manor.
It is an amazement that Right Honourable Rotimi Amaechi who should have every reason to be grateful to the people of Rivers state would become the terror tormenting their very peaceful existence, all in the name of seeking to control power.
Driven into a frenzy by this ambition, former Governor Amaechi wants to determine who becomes anything and everything in Rivers State. He wants to control power and dispense it from his kingdom. Unlike himself who was freely given an opportunity to become someone in life, Amaechi would want everyone in Rivers to crawl on their fours to him, just to receive crumbs dropping from his table.
Himself a creation of the political large-heartedness of former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili, Amaechi has every reason to be grateful to God and the people of Rivers. But, he has despised in all forms his very little humble beginning.
The story of Rotimi Amaechi is a 20-year journey crafted by his benefactor and political mentor, Dr Peter Odili. But as it is with many, Amaechi has grown monstrous with his political pursuits, so much so he has forgotten where he is coming from. Those who doubt this shoukd ask him about his relationship with Dr Odili. They are daggers drawn.
Currently, Nigeria’s serving Minister of Transportation, Amaechi came into position of value when he was spotted and given opportunity to move up the ladder of life by Dr Peter Odili. He was a debt collector in Dr Odili’s PAMO Clinics in Port Harcourt. Later he became Special Assistant to Dr Odili as Deputy Governor of the state between 1992 and 1993.
In 1999, he was elected through the court into the Rivers State House of Assembly and became Speaker of the House for two terms between 1999 and 2007; at the same time, he was made Chairman of Nigeria Conference of Speakers.
In 2007, Rotimi Amaechi became Governor of Rivers State through the legal process and re-elected for another four years in 2011. He is a recipient of one of the country’s highest national honours – Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
He defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on November 27, 2013 and as a compensation for his betrayal of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the APC in 2015 appointed him Minister of Transportation.
As Director General of the Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaign both in 2015 and 2019, he appropriated and arrogated influence and power to himself telling his new allies in the APC how evil his erstwhile benefactors were.
Aggregating these past and current accomplishments – 8 years as governor, 8 years as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and four years as minister of the Federal Republic; it would appear that the most recent engagements of Rotimi Amaechi is an outright denigration of the honour done him by his people and those whom God in His infnite wisdom have allowed to assist him become a person of substance.
With a track record of an incurable appetite to destroy the very structure that brought him into relevance, it would be recalled that in the run up to his 2007 governorship ambition in Rivers State, Amaechi who was then the Speaker of the State House, mounted a campaign of calumny against the very government and person of Dr Peter Odili who had sustained him.
For many who do not know, that the battle for the emergence of Amaechi as a governor was fought by present governor of Rivers State, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike who ensured victory at the courts and brought Amaechi back from Ghana to become governor.
It is on record that this callous hunger to control not only the leadership of the APC in the state but, dictatorial control of a complex state like Rivers, precipitated the series of activities engineered and sustained by Amaechi and which denied the APC an opportunity to vie for any office in the 2019 elections.
It is infra dig for a man who was a nobody, from the back waters of his local village, Ubima in Ikwerre Local Government Area and has emerged into national politics to harbour intense hatred for the people and state that made him.
Honourable Chibuike Amaechi owes the entire people of Rivers State an apology for assaulting their sensibilities and right to choose candidates of their choice at any election.
On the other hand, the APC should be inquisitive as to how and why the party became a subject of ridicule in Rivers State instead of allowing itself to be deceived into thinking that Nyesom Wike is its problem. No, not at all, the APC problem in Rivers is the man who now constitutes the party’s shame in the South-South.
Ifeanyichukwu, a political analyst writes from Enugu.
Alexaander Ifeanyichukwu
Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has renamed The Polytechnic, Ibadan as Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan, in honour of a late former governor of the State, Dr Omololu Olunloyo.
Dr Olunloyo, who died on April 6, 2025, was the pioneer Principal of the Polytechnic, Ibadan, while he also served as Governor of Oyo State between October 1 and December 31, 1983.
Governor Makinde made the announcement at the state interdenominational funeral service held yesterday in honour of the late former governor at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Liberty Road, Ibadan.
Governor Makinde said Dr Olunloyo lived an eventful life, adding that his attainment and personality could not be summarised in one sentence.
“He was not a man we could summarise in one sentence. He was a scholar, a statesman, a technocrat, a lover of culture and, above all, a man of deep conviction.
“While giving the exhortation, I was listening to Baba Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu and he said in 1983, Baba became Governor of Oyo State. Though his time in office was brief, his election victory over a popular incumbent remains a powerful testament to the trust people gave him.
“I talked about preserving and digitising his library yesterday [Wednesday] as a mark of honour to Baba Olunloyo.
“Today, we will be giving Baba another honour to immortalise him. He was the first Principal of The Polytechnic, Ibadan; that institution will now be named Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan.”
Earlier in his sermon, a retired Methodist Archbishop of Ilesa and Ibadan, Ayo Ladigbolu, described the late Olunloyo as a role model with intellectual inspiration and unassailable integrity.
The cleric said the deceased also demonstrated leadership in most superior quality during his lifetime.
In attendance were the state Deputy Governor, Chief Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal; wife of a former Military Governor of the old Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Dupe Jemibewon; wife of a former Governor of Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Mutiat Ladoja; former Deputy Governor and PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; and former Deputy Governor, Hazeem Gbolarumi.
Others were the member representing Ibadan North-East/South-East Federal Constituency, Hon Abass Adigun Agboworin; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi; Oyo State Exco members; Chairman of Oyo State Elders’ Council, Dr Saka Balogun; Chairman of All Local Government Chairmen in Oyo State, Hon Sikiru Sanda; President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Adeniyi Ajewole; religious leaders and family members, among other dignitaries.
Ten members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) have countered the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, on the reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary.
The dissenting members, led by the Deputy National Chairman ( South), Taofeek Arapaja, in a joint statement, said no organ of the opposition party could overturn the decision of the 99th meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC).
The dissenting NWC members include Arapaja; Setonji Koshoedo, Deputy National Secretary; Okechukwu Obiechina-Daniel, National Auditor; Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary; Ologunagba; Woyengikuro Daniel, National Financial Secretary and Ahmed Yayari Mohammed, National Treasurer.
Others are Chief Ali Odefa, National Vice Chairman (South East); Emmanuel Ogidi, Caretaker Committee Chairman (South South); Mrs. Amina Darasimi D. Bryhm, National Woman Leader and Ajisafe Kamoru Toyese, National Vice Chairman (South West).
The group also insisted that contrary to the position of the acting National Chairman, the 100th NEC meeting of the party would be held on June 30 as earlier scheduled.
The statement read: “The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to a press briefing by the acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, today Wednesday, June 25, wherein he attempted to overturn the resolution of the 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting which scheduled the 100th NEC meeting for Monday, June 30.
“The acting National Chairman in the said press briefing also reportedly announced that Senator Samuel Anyanwu has been asked to resume as National Secretary of the party contrary to the resolution of the 99th NEC meeting, which referred all matters relating to the office of the National Secretary to the 100th NEC meeting.
“The pronouncements by the acting National Chairman have no foundation as no organ of the party (including the NWC), individual or group has the power to cancel, overrule, veto or vary the resolution of the National Executive Committee (NEC) under the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).
“For the avoidance of doubt, the NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the party, second only to the National Convention. By virtue of Section 31 (3) of the PDP Constitution, the resolution of the NEC to hold its 100th meeting on Monday June 30, is binding on all organs, officers, chapters and members of the party and no organ, group or individual can vary or veto this resolution of NEC.
“Furthermore, the claim by Damagum that Sen Anyanwu has been asked to resume office as the National Secretary of the party is, therefore, misleading being contrary to the resolution of NEC.
“In the light of the foregoing, the 100th NEC meeting as scheduled for Monday, June 30, has not been canceled or postponed.”
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has fired back at former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, following the latter’s scathing criticism of President Tinubu’s administration and his 2027 re-election prospects.
In an interview on live television, Mallam El-Rufai said it would take a “miracle” for President Tinubu to be re-elected in 2027, citing an internal poll that purportedly shows a 91 percent disapproval rating for the president across key regions in the country, including the South-East and the North. He also claimed that President Tinubu’s disapproval rating in Lagos stood at 78 percent.
Reacting on Wednesday via a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Onanuga took a swipe at the ex-governor, quoting a harsh assessment of Mallam El-Rufai’s character from former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s memoir, My Watch.
“Nasir’s penchant for reputation savaging is almost pathological,” Mr Onanuga wrote, citing Chief Obasanjo’s words. “Why does he do it? Very early in my interaction with him, I appreciated his talent. At the same time, I recognised his weaknesses; the worst being his inability to be loyal to anybody or any issue consistently for long, but only to Nasir El-Rufai.”
The presidential adviser emphasised Chief Obasanjo’s remarks that Mallam El-Rufai often tries to elevate himself by diminishing others. “He lied brazenly, which he did to me, against his colleagues and so-called friends,” Mr Onanuga continued, quoting the former President. “I have heard of how he ruthlessly savaged the reputation of his uncle, a man who, in an African setting, was like a foster father to him.”
Chief Obasanjo, who appointed Mallam El-Rufai as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory between 2003 and 2007, did not mince words in the memoir, describing Mallam El-Rufai as suffering from “small man syndrome.”
Mr Onanuga’s post is seen as a direct rebuttal to Mallam El-Rufai’s recent criticism and growing opposition role. The former governor is reportedly playing a central role in forming a new coalition to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
In March 2025, El-Rufai officially dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), intensifying speculations about his 2027 political ambitions.
As the political rift deepens, Mallam El-Rufai remains one of the most vocal critics of the Tinubu administration, while Mr Onanuga and other presidential allies continue to push back against what they describe as “reckless” opposition rhetoric.