‘I won’t waste my time talking about Amaechi’ — Oshiomhole

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has dismissed former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as unreliable, saying he would not waste his time discussing the former minister. Oshiomhole spoke on TVC while reacting to Amaechi’s comments that President Bola Tinubu faces more challengers in the 2027 presidential election top challengers are from the South, while former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has fewer opponents because he is from the North.

“If you know Amaechi, you won’t waste airtime talking about him,” Oshiomhole said. The former Edo State governor questioned Amaechi’s political consistency, citing his past dispute with Atiku over the African Democratic Congress presidential primary. According to Oshiomhole, Amaechi had accused Atiku of emerging from a fraudulent primary and challenged his victory in court.

“Here is Amaechi on record in your TVC coverage and other network stations, who said that his own boss, the presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, that the primary that produce him was a fraudulent process, and Atiku stole the mandate, he didn’t win the mandate. He didn’t stop there. Amaechi went to court to challenge Atiku that he stole the mandate,” he said.

Oshiomhole added that Atiku later reached an agreement with Amaechi, claiming the former vice-president had asked him to share the mandate they allegedly obtained through a fraudulent process. “This is not social media, there are court documents, and Atiku went back to him and said okay, let’s share the stolen mandate together,” he said. Oshiomhole also referred to Amaechi’s political history, arguing that his rise to power and appointment as a minister were not the result of direct electoral victories.

He said Amaechi became governor following a Supreme Court decision and was appointed minister by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. “And I am not surprised that knowing what I know about him…he’s been very lucky that Supreme Court make him a governor without appearing on the ballot, and President Buhari made him a minister without voting for him in 2015, because I was a national player and later national chairman, so I know what I’m talking about,” Oshiomhole said.

The senator further criticised Amaechi for describing other political figures as ethnic champions, arguing that the former governor had presented himself as the exception before the African Democratic Congress primaries. “He referred to Atiku as an ethnic champion. He referred to every other person as an ethnic champion. He was the only non-ethnic champion in the ADC before their primaries,” Oshiomhole said.

He questioned Amaechi’s assessment of other political leaders, saying someone who dismisses others as ethnic champions should not be taken seriously when discussing leadership in a diverse country like Nigeria.