…Says presidency not a soup kitchen for ex-minister
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation, as a “loafer outside public office” who lacks the capacity to be productive without feeding from the public treasury.
In a press statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka, the ruling party said Amaechi’s recent comments blaming President Bola Tinubu for his mother’s death exposed his unfitness for the Vice Presidency, which he seeks on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2027.
The APC’s statement followed Amaechi’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, where he alleged that Tinubu’s economic policies contributed to the death of his mother, Mary Amaechi, in July 2026.
“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,” Amaechi said during the interview.
He also claimed that petrol subsidy removal had worsened hardship for Nigerians, challenging the administration to allow him to verify fuel prices at the pump.
The APC, in its response, said Amaechi’s confession that he could not afford his mother’s medication after four decades of “freeloading” at the highest levels of public office was a damning self-indictment.
“For four decades, Rotimi Amaechi freeloaded at the highest levels of public office. He was never hungry and could afford medications for himself and his family,” the statement said. “Just three years out of office, he has become destitute, unable to fend for himself and his loved ones.”
The party recalled Amaechi’s previous public statements about his financial struggles, including claims that his wife was now feeding him, and said these “uncanny confessions” demonstrated a pattern of dependency on public office.
“If Amaechi is not struggling with some kind of Peter Pan syndrome, then he must be a loafer, aimless and irresponsible for his inability to be productive and earn a living outside the patronage of public office,” the APC said.
The statement emphasized that the presidency “is not a soup kitchen and will not be a soup kitchen for Rotimi Amaechi,” warning Nigerians against entrusting the office to someone it described as seeking to “keep the predatory lifestyle he has grown accustomed to.”
The APC’s response adds to a growing chorus of criticism against Amaechi over his comments linking his mother’s death to government policy.
On Saturday, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike accused Amaechi of “politicising” his mother’s death. Wike questioned how Amaechi, who served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly for eight years, governor for eight years, and minister for another eight years, could claim he was unable to afford medication.
“People can descend so low to use their mother to play politics,” Wike said during an event in Rivers State.
The APC concluded its statement by offering what it described as a “sincere wish” that employers in Amaechi’s hometown of Ubima find him “suitable for a job that pays wages sufficient for him to feed and buy medications for himself and his beloved family for the rest of his retirement.”
“No one can speak more to Rotimi Amaechi’s unfitness for the office of Vice President than Rotimi Amaechi himself,” the party said.
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