By Emmanuel Adegbite
Former Governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, recently urged Nigerians to be prepared to defend their votes in 2027, emphasizing the need for electoral vigilance. Speaking at the National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria, organized by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy, and Development, Amaechi highlighted the importance of standing up against electoral malpractice. However, his comments have sparked widespread criticism, with many questioning his own record in governance and alleged complicity in Nigeria’s deeply entrenched political corruption.
Amaechi was a central figure in the 2015 presidential election, where he played a pivotal role in the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan and the ascension of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to power. As Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign, he positioned himself as a champion of democratic change. However, nearly a decade later, the very administration he helped install has presided over worsening economic hardship, widespread insecurity, and deepening political corruption.
Despite his rhetoric on electoral integrity, Amaechi himself has been linked to allegations of financial mismanagement and abuse of power, raising questions about the credibility of his calls for democratic accountability.
Amaechi’s tenure as Governor of Rivers State (2007–2015) was marred by multiple accusations of corruption. In 2015, the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry, set up by his successor, Governor Nyesom Wike, accused him of misappropriating over ₦97 billion ($250 million) in state funds. The commission alleged that Amaechi awarded fraudulent contracts and sold state assets without due process.
In 2022, during the buildup to the APC presidential primaries, a leaked audio recording allegedly captured Amaechi admitting that the Buhari administration was riddled with corruption, further exposing the hypocrisy within his political camp. This revelation reinforced public skepticism about his credibility as a voice for democratic accountability.
While serving as Minister of Transportation (2015–2022), Amaechi oversaw major infrastructure projects, including Nigeria’s rail modernization initiative. However, his tenure was overshadowed by concerns about lack of transparency in railway contracts, particularly the $2 billion Chinese loan agreement for railway expansion, which placed Nigeria in significant debt. Critics argue that his handling of these projects favored foreign interests over national economic sustainability.
Moreover, in 2017, Amaechi was controversially linked to the infamous Ikoyi cash scandal, where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) discovered $43 million in an apartment in Lagos. While the ownership of the funds was never conclusively established, Amaechi’s name frequently surfaced in speculation regarding high-level corruption.
Amaechi’s recent remarks urging Nigerians to defend their votes stand in stark contrast to allegations that he played a role in election manipulation himself. In 2019, opposition parties accused him of using federal security forces to influence elections in Rivers State in favor of his political allies. Reports of voter suppression, intimidation, and violence were widespread, yet Amaechi remained defiant in denying any wrongdoing.
His assertion that politicians in Nigeria will “steal, maim, and kill to remain in power” might be a rare moment of honesty, but it also inadvertently implicates him in the very system he critiques. If power is only taken through force and manipulation, as he suggests, then one must ask: Was his own rise to power any different?
While Amaechi’s call for electoral vigilance in 2027 resonates with Nigerians frustrated by political impunity, his own history of governance failures, corruption allegations, and electoral manipulation undermines his moral authority. If Nigeria is to strengthen its democracy, it will require more than empty rhetoric from political elites who have benefitted from the very system they now claim to challenge.
If Amaechi truly believes in defending the vote, perhaps he should start by accounting for his own actions in government—before positioning himself as a defender of democracy.
