Ex-Gov Amaechi: Lamido And I Would Have Confronted Tinubu If We Were Governors

Former Rivers State governor and former minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has claimed that he and former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, would not have tolerated the current political situation in Nigeria if they were still serving in office.

Amaechi made the remarks on Tuesday in Abuja at the public presentation of Lamido’s autobiography titled "Being True to Myself."

 Reflecting on their time as governors, Amaechi, who chaired the Nigeria Governors Forum during Lamido’s second term, described their era as one of bold opposition and accountability.

“I asked you (Lamido) this morning, what is going on currently in the country, in Nigerian politics — would it have happened when we were governors? You said no. And the answer is no,” Amaechi said.

He continued, “We would have confronted the government, confronted the president. That’s how radical you were. That’s how our Governors Forum operated. That’s how determined we were to change things.” 

Amaechi also opened up about the political divergence between him and Lamido, particularly during their opposition to former President Goodluck Jonathan. 

He recalled how a disagreement over political strategy led to a parting of ways between the two former allies.

“We were quite good friends in government. We had our bad times when we disagreed. I made the mistake of assuming he was as radical as I was. So, he was one of the governors I clung to when it came to radical decisions,” Amaechi said.

According to him, the final straw came when Lamido opted to align with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), contrary to the collective decision of their faction to remain with the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“We said, ‘If we go to the SDP, we will lose the election. Let’s hang on to this one called the APC.’ He disagreed and left us. That’s where we parted ways,” he said.

Amaechi’s comments come amid widespread public dissatisfaction with governance in Nigeria, generating renewed discussions about political accountability and leadership.