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Tinubu’s Govt Worse Than Buhari’s, Says Amaechi
A former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says while former President Muhammadu Buhari did not achieve all his goals, he still performed better than the current administration led by President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Amaechi, also a former two-term Governor of Rivers State, made the remarks on Thursday while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s prime programme Politics Today.
“Not everything was achieved. Buhari will tell you that he did not achieve all that he planned for. But then, he was better than the current government by all standards,” he said.
He highlighted security and institutional independence as areas where Buhari out-performed Tinubu.
“In terms of security, Buhari focused on it. In transportation, I’m open to a new challenge. Again, the independence of INEC was higher in Buhari’s government than now.
“Now, they can’t even register a party because government officials are telling them not to. Those who applied to INEC for registration — their rents have expired,” he said.
He also clarified that his criticism of President Tinubu is not personal, adding that he would have been the first to sing the President’s praises if he believed the administration was performing well.
“If Tinubu was doing well, I’d be the first to sing his praises. I feel ashamed for a President commissioning 16 kilometres of road, that’s what a local government chairman should be doing,” he stated.
The ex-minister accused the Tinubu administration of mishandling the economy, insisting it has worsened poverty across the country.
“The current government has completely buried the economy. Any economy that does not put money in the pockets of individuals in Nigeria is not an economic policy.
“You’re making savings from removing subsidy, from floating the naira — where is the money? Where is it going?”
According to him, Nigeria’s socio-economic structure has collapsed into just two classes — the elite and the poor.
“We have a situation where only members of this government are in the rich class. The middle class has vanished, and the poor are increasing. At this rate, a time will come when we won’t even see the poor anymore — they’ll have all died.”
The former Rivers State governor said his record in office remains untainted, adding that he never stole from the public purse. He also dismissed claims that his current stance is motivated by not receiving an appointment from Tinubu.
“I never stole anything in politics. I don’t drive a Rolls-Royce. I’m not in opposition because Tinubu didn’t give me an appointment. I’m not interested in any appointment.
“If there’s anyone who says Amaechi deceived them, let them come forward. If there was corruption in my tenure, let them come forward. I’m waiting,” he said.
In 2022, Amaechi formally declared his intention to contest for the presidency under the APC.
Speaking on his ability to lead Nigeria, Amaechi, who is part of the ongoing coalition talks, declared that he has what it takes to deliver results where the current government is failing.
“Of course, can I lead Nigeria? Yes. I have led as a Speaker, and I was one of the best Speakers in this country,” he said.
“Nigerians would not have been this hungry if I had become President. There is absolutely no way we would have this level of insecurity under me.”
He promised to be transparent about his credentials and fitness to lead, saying, “In the next three weeks, I’ll publish my health details, age, birth certificate, and school certificate. I’ll reassure Nigerians that I won’t be going to hospitals if I am made president.”
On party politics, he lauded the efforts of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he’s a notable figure in a new coalition gearing up for the 2027 elections.
“Once the people want their power, they can restore it. That’s what the ADC is doing — trying to end political apathy and return power to the people,”Amaechi said.
He added that the leadership of ADC will ultimately determine the fate of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), being considered as a merger platform.
Amaechi stressed that the goal of the opposition coalition is not just about elections, but the future of the country.
“The coalition’s ultimate goal is to see a better Nigeria. If I become President, I’ll accept a one-term tenure if that’s what it takes to fix the country,” he said.
When asked about Nigeria’s political future, Amaechi made a call for reform
“We need to remove politicians — including myself, if necessary. What Nigeria needs is a people’s government. And in that government, we can look at politicians who are qualified to actually listen to the people.”
Weighing in on the electoral body, he accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of enabling the ruling APC by deliberately closing the political space.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Oyebanji secured a landslide victory, polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, came a distant third with 12,872 votes.
The election, held across all 16 local government areas of the state, was overshadowed by reports of irregularities and widespread allegations of vote buying, drawing strong condemnation from observers.
The official results were announced on Sunday morning by the Chief Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who declared Oyebanji duly elected after meeting the constitutional requirements.
In her declaration, Professor Oladiji stated: “I, Professor Adenike Oladiji, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the Ekiti State Governorship Election held on June 20, 2026, and that the election was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the law. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
Source: Reuters
Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has alleged that there may be attempts to prevent key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, from appearing on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
Oseni’s remark followed a Federal High Court judgment ordering the de-registration of some political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples’ Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance Party (AAP) over alleged constitutional breaches.
The judgment arose from a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional and statutory electoral performance requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties.
Justice Lifu subsequently barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them or permitting them to participate in activities related to the 2027 general elections.
The ruling, if upheld, could affect the political ambitions of several politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC presidential flag-bearer, and Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
But speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Oseni described the court ruling as a “test” of public reaction, warning that more actions could follow ahead of the next general election.
According to him, opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, should be cautious, claiming that efforts could be made to stop major figures from participating in the election.
Oseni argued that the judgment was part of a broader process aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027.
He maintained that the ruling came despite some of the affected parties having recorded electoral victories in recent elections.
He warned that Nigerians must remain vigilant to safeguard the country’s democracy, stressing the need for judicial reforms alongside efforts to tackle insecurity.
Oseni said: “NDC, ADC should be careful because there will be attempt, and this is me predicting now, to ensure that Obi, Atiku and other big contenders are not on the ballot.
“This that you saw yesterday is just a test. This is not the real place where the whole thing is going. This is me predicting now.
“You know before you have a show you test the microphone. They want to see the reactions of Nigerians. More is still coming.
“You can see how they carry a judgement when ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, one Kogi House of Assembly seat, APP one chairmanship seat in Jigawa, Zenith Labour party won several seats in Abia, but they still went ahead and issued judgement for deregistration after the Court of Appeal, a higher court, said it should stay on that.
“If we want to deal with this judicial rascality, can I tell you something? The judge that gave this judgment, nothing will happen to him. Nothing on this earth. They are just coming.
“And who is leading this group? Gbajabiamila. Have you forgotten what Gbajabiamila said on Hon Ajibade’s birthday? So they are just coming. This one is just a test. The next one they will do is the NDC.
“With the way they’re going, if Nigerians don’t shine their eyes when they will finally have this election, you will not have the major contenders in the ballot. This thing they have just done is to test reactions from Nigerians.
“I saw this thing coming. You know we are going into an election in which Atiku Abubakar is the only major candidate from the North. It’s not like the last one you have Kwankwaso that can split the Kano votes. And you have Peter Obi and general consensus that a lot of people are in abject penury, insecurity is raging hard.
“This is the beginning of many things. They are just testing the microphone. It’s engineered. More is coming. Nigerians, it is you that will save your democracy. Judicial reforms have become so important as insecurity in Nigeria.”
