The Vice Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of contributing to the death of his mother, saying the economic hardship made it difficult for him to afford the drugs she needed.
Mr Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation, made the allegation on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
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His mother, Ezinne Amaechi, died on 16 July at the age of 89.
“Tinubu’s policies killed my mother. Before Tinubu came, my mother was healthy. After 2023, it was difficult for me to buy drugs for my mother,” he said.
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Mr Amaechi has repeatedly criticised the Tinubu administration over the rising cost of living, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the impact of the government’s economic reforms on Nigerians.
His comments come a day after President Tinubu, in his Independence Day address, defended the reforms, saying they had corrected structural weaknesses in the economy and would ultimately lead to shared prosperity.
Mr Amaechi also challenged the president over the price of petrol, offering to abandon his position as running mate to ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and campaign for Mr Tinubu if petrol sells for N600 per litre.
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“Tomorrow, if you are doubtful, come with your camera in the morning and I will go to a filling station and I will buy fuel. If it comes down to N600, I, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, will withdraw as the vice presidential candidate of Atiku and campaign for President Tinubu,” he said.
He said the test would be straightforward, insisting that he would personally verify the price at a filling station.
Mr Amaechi also described the 2027 presidential election in stark terms, saying Nigerians would be faced with a choice between life and death.
According to him, “Tinubu represents the choice of death.”
‘Corruption in Tinubu administration’
The ADC candidate also accused the Tinubu administration of being more corrupt than the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari, under whom he served as transportation minister.
Mr Amaechi said corruption during the Buhari administration was less visible, while alleging that it was more glaring under the current government.
“If you compare the two, you will think there was no corruption under Buhari’s government,” he said.
“Corruption under Buhari is not as bad as this under this regime. You know the difference? The difference is that when you are corrupt, you hide it. These people are not hiding it. It’s so glaring.”
Asked whether he was involved in corruption while serving in Mr Buhari’s cabinet, Mr Amaechi denied the allegation.
“I have said it several times. The other time Maupe (a Channels TV anchor) was interviewing me and she asked, are you corrupt? And I said no, and I am waiting for the person that will prove that I am corrupt,” he said.
“I will say it again and again. I will not near corruption. I will not get close to corruption.”
READ ALSO: Amaechi: I ‘technically resigned’ from Buhari’s govt over unmet expectations
‘Name one project you have completed’
Mr Amaechi also challenged the Tinubu administration to name a major infrastructure project it had completed since taking office in 2023.
He said the administration could not compare its record on infrastructure with that of the Buhari government, under which he served as minister.
“The only thing you can judge us and look at is about governance, but in terms of being able to do projects here and there, let this government show one thing they have done, including the so-called coastal road that I hear is N33 trillion, about $16 billion,” he said.
“By this time in the first tenure of Buhari’s government, we had completed Abuja-Kaduna rail. Tell them to show one rail they have completed. They should name one project they have completed, just one.”
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