Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has urged Nigerians and opposition political groups to organise and mobilise ahead of the 2027 general election, arguing that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not unbeatable.
Speaking at the 2025 National Electoral Reforms Summit in Abuja on Tuesday, Amaechi warned that widespread voter apathy and the weakening of civic pressure groups are aiding those who benefit from maintaining the status quo.
“President Tinubu is not invincible. I’ve worked with him and I know him,” Amaechi said. “They push the idea that results are already decided so that people will stay home. But if citizens come out in overwhelming numbers, no one can write fake results. Anyone who tries will only be causing trouble for himself.”
The former Rivers State governor and ex-Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation accused Nigeria’s political elite and state institutions of suppressing accountability and weakening democratic participation.
He stressed that meaningful reform would not come from government alone and called for citizen-driven engagement.
“Don’t wait for the NLC; there is no NLC anymore. There is no ASUU or NANS. If you are waiting for government to initiate reform, you are wasting your time,” he said. “There must be organised pressure before elections to ensure that credible processes are not undermined.”
Amaechi also lamented rising economic hardship nationwide, insisting that hunger has become widespread irrespective of class.
“I said Nigerians are hungry. Whether I’m hungry or not is not the point. Are Nigerians not hungry?” he asked.
He further criticised entrenched political patronage networks, saying alliances between politicians and contractors continue to deepen inequality and weaken democratic governance.
Amaechi’s remarks stand in sharp contrast to comments by former Abia State governor and Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, who recently asserted that President Tinubu remains firmly in control ahead of 2027, suggesting the election would be “Tinubu versus Tinubu.”
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