Amaechi resigns from APC, joins ADC

Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, has delivered a fiery rebuke of Nigeria’s political and institutional failures, declaring that the country is “completely destroyed” and urgently needs a total overhaul.

Amaechi made the bold statement on Wednesday in Abuja during the unveiling of the interim executive committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he was a special guest.

The former presidential aspirant did not hold back as he blamed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)—a party he once served at the highest level—and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he called the collapse of governance and democracy in the country.

“Things have gone so bad that Nigerians can’t even afford to eat,” he said. “There’s no money, inflation is at its peak, and people are suffering in silence.”

Amaechi, who said that he resigned from the APC on Tuesday night, expressed surprised that he was not expelled from the party after he warned them not to send invitation to him for meetings.

Asked why he decided not to join and support the government, instead he is clamouring to change the government, he said: “No, it’s not about changing the government, if it is about changing the government, there is no need of changing the government, it’s about changing Nigeria.

“Nigeria is completely destroyed. People can’t eat. People can’t buy food. There’s no money to buy food. Everything is gone. Inflation is at its peak. And the federal government is busy going around trying to hijack the election. INEC is helping them to hijack the election.

“No, no, no. What must happen here is that we must start not just a party, but a movement, it must be a movement that brings in Nigerians to on their own take over government, not us.”

Reminded that he is part of the APC government and has spent two years in the party under President Bola Tinubu, he said said that he tendered his resignation from the party on Tuesday night.

He said: “I left APC last night. I never attended one meeting, last time they invited me I warned them. I said, if you invite me to any meeting anymore… In fact, I was surprised that I wasn’t even expelled because I warned them in writing, don’t even invite me to any meeting. You can’t be in a club where majority of people are stealing and you don’t say anything.”

Fielding question on what he thought was wrong with President Tinubu’s government that he was not supporting it, Amaechi said:

“I have never believed that Tinubu is a material to govern the country, I have never, because now, people want (Muhammadu) Buhari to come back. What happens in Nigeria is that when a new government takes over, it becomes worse than the previous government that makes people say let the previous government come back.

“People are asking for Buhari because things were better during Buhari’s administration. Dollar was I think ₦460 or five hundred and something now a dollar is one thousand five hundred and eighty, that is more than one hundred percent.”

Reminded also that some people may argue that the exchange rate may be a deliberate government policy, the former Minister said: “Whether it’s a deliberate government policy or not, any government that does not take into consideration the people you are governing is not a policy. President Tinubu said he is not here to make Nigerians happy.”

Asked if he was not being over ambitious, he simply said, “I have the right to be ambitious, I am not over ambitious.”