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
Rt Hon. Abbas secured the party’s ticket through an affirmation exercise conducted across the 13 electoral wards in the constituency.
The wards involved include Kwarbai A, Kwarbai B, Limancin-Kona, Unguwar Fatika, Unguwar Juma, Dutsen Abba, Gyallesu, Kufena, Dambo, Wuchichiri, Tudun Wada, Tukur-Tukur, and Kaura.
The exercise, which began simultaneously in all wards at about 10 a.m., recorded large turnout of APC members who gathered at various party offices across the constituency.
At Kwarbai B Ward, the Speaker’s ward, the process was conducted peacefully under the supervision of the ward APC Returning Officer, Malam Iliyasu Muhammad Balarabe, in the presence of Rt Hon. Abbas.
According to the ward APC secretary, Nafiu Sabo, the ward has over 10,000 registered members, but 220 members were accredited for the exercise.
Before the affirmation, Mallam Balarabe informed members that Rt Hon Abbas was the only aspirant who purchased nomination forms, underwent screening, and was cleared by the APC national leadership to contest the Zaria Federal Constituency seat.
Following a voice vote by accredited members, the Speaker was affirmed as the party’s candidate in the ward, a process replicated across the remaining 12 wards.
At the constituency collation centre, the APC Returning Officer for the House of Representatives primary in Zaria Federal Constituency, Dr. Hamisu Ibrahim Kubau, announced that 1,376 APC members across the 13 wards endorsed Rt Hon. Abbas as the party’s flag bearer.
He explained that although thousands of party members participated in the exercise, only accredited delegates were allowed to vote.
Dr. Kubau declared: “There are 13 wards in Zaria Federal Constituency, and only one aspirant purchased a form, was screened, and cleared. He is Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen. After due process, we conducted affirmations across all wards.”
He added that the process was peaceful and monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and party representatives.
Chairman of the APC House of Representatives Primary Elections in Kaduna State, Senator Yakubu Oseni, described the outcome as a reflection of the Speaker’s popularity and acceptance among constituents.
He expressed confidence that Rt Hon Abbas would secure victory in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking after his declaration, Rt Hon. Abbas expressed appreciation to APC members for reaffirming their confidence in him.
The incumbent Reps including Emily Inyang and Godwin Offionio, in separate interviews
protested the handling of the primaries conducted by the leadership of the party in the state, saying it was skewed against them.
The aspirants further described the primaries as a charade and an embarrassment to the state.
According to them, the House of Representatives primaries fell short of the provisions of both the Electoral Act as amended in 2026 and the party’s constitution.
They accused the leadership of the party in the state, backed by Governor Bassey Otu, of violating the party’s constitution in the conduct of the House of Representatives primaries across the state on Saturday.
Hon. Godwin Offiono, representing Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency, particularly expressed disappointment with the primary that allegedly disenfranchised registered members of the party in his constituency.
Hon. Offiono asserted that having failed to arrive at a consensus, the party leadership opted for a direct primary to decide the candidate for the 2027 election.
“But what I witnessed today was not only alarming, but quite disheartening that our electoral system have not shown any improvement, especially now that we have a man of God in the person of the governor as the leader of the party.
“How do you declare a result by 9:00am even when the electoral materials were yet to arrive at Yala.
“As an aspirant, I couldn’t even vote or see the materials for my own primary at my Okuku ward in Yala Local Government Area, where I come from. But no matter what happens I am still in the race and have not stepped down for anybody.
“The governor had all the time in the world to drive the process of consensus but he never did. As a representative, I cannot even see my governor. I called, no response. I sent text no reply. I am treated as an out cast,” he lamented.
In an emotion laden tone during a telephone interview, Hon. Offiono further said: “I could not believe that first term NASS members like me can be treated in this shoddy manner even when I don’t know my offence.
“I have been a loyal party man. I appeal to the governor to do the right thing, follow the Electoral Act and party constitution in electing representatives.”
Similarly, Hon. Emil Inyang of Akamkpa/Biase Federal Constituency said he still remained in the race and had not stepped down for anybody.
According to him, “If this shenanigan called primary is allowed to stand, it would affect the party’s fortune in the general elections.
“My appeal to the governor is to allow the people to decide. And if they so voted against me, I will rest and not fight over anything.
“There was no stakeholders meeting held to decide on anything before now, and someone can not be unilaterally imposed on us all in the name of compromised primary,” he stated.
A coalition of support groups within the All Progressives Congress (APC) has protested the disqualification of former presidential aspirant, Mr Tein Jack-Rich, from the Rivers West Senatorial race ahead of the party’s primaries for the 2027 general elections.
The groups, in a statement issued on Saturday morning in Abuja, described the action of the party’s screening committee as unjust and capable of worsening internal divisions within the APC in Rivers State.
The statement, signed by the coalition’s National Coordinator, Dr. Bilal Galadima, and General Secretary, Hon. James Ogenyi, accused the party leadership in Rivers State of favouring politicians loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, while sidelining long-standing members of the APC.
The coalition alleged that only aspirants aligned with Chief Wike were cleared to contest for elective positions in the state.
“How can our party allow only one man who is not a member of our party to make decisions or dictate the direction of our party?”, the group queried.
The coalition specifically faulted the exclusion of Mr Jack-Rich, describing him as a loyal party member who had supported the APC for more than 13 years and previously contested the party’s presidential ticket.
It also questioned the alleged clearance of Chief Felix Obua, whom it described as a recent entrant into the party and an ally of Chief Wike.
“How can our party disqualify Jack-Rich, a former presidential aspirant who has been loyal and supported our party for the last 13 years, only for our party to choose Felix Obua, a Wike loyalist who only joined the party three months ago?”, the statement read.
The group warned that failure by the APC leadership and National Working Committee (NWC) to address the matter as it could weaken the party’s structure in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 elections.
It called on party leaders to uphold internal democracy, reward loyalty and ensure a level playing field for all aspirants.
INEC TO BEGIN MEMBERSHIP VERIFICATION AS POLITICAL PARTIES SUBMIT REGISTER
All 22 registered political parties have successfully submitted their membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, the Commission has said.
In a statement issued on Friday, Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Mohammed Haruna, said the submission followed the extension granted by the Commission after political parties raised concerns during a meeting on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, regarding the timeline provided in the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 general elections.
He said, “The Commission is pleased to note that all registered parties submitted their registers as of 8th May 2026, two days before the extended deadline.”
He recalled that following a meeting with political parties, the Commission, in a statement issued on the 27th of March, 2026, adjusted the deadline for the submission of party registers from 21st April 2026 to 10th May 2026 to align with the provisions of Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026 and the actual dates fixed by political parties for their primaries.
Mr Haruna noted that political parties were accordingly allowed to conduct their primaries within the approved period from 23rd April 2026 to 30th May 2026, while the register of party members was required to be submitted to the Commission not later than 21 days before the conduct of their respective primaries.
He added, “INEC wishes to state that all registered political parties complied with the requirement within the extended timeframe and will subject the submitted registers to the necessary verification processes in line with the law.”
The Commission restated its commitment to the conduct of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections.
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