APC slams Amaechi over claims on mother’s medication

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has attacked former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi over his claim that he could not afford medication for his late mother, describing him as unfit to become Nigeria’s vice president.

The party, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, on Sunday, also mocked Mr Amaechi over his reported financial difficulties since leaving public office.

Mr Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation, is the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general elections.

The APC’s statement followed comments attributed to Mr Amaechi about his inability to afford medication for his mother, Mary Oduah Amaechi, who died in July at the age of 89, due to the hardship occasioned by President Bola Tinubu’s policies.

The ruling party said it prayed for the repose of Mrs Amaechi’s soul and wished her son “excellent health of mind and body,” but quickly turned its attention to his financial circumstances.

“We also pray for excellent health of mind and body for her son, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, a former two-term Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term Governor, two-term Minister of Transportation, former presidential aspirant, and currently the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who could not afford medications for his mother’s treatment,” Mr Morka said.

The APC then sarcastically suggested that Mr Amaechi should seek employment in his hometown of Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.

“It is our sincere wish that employers of labour in his hometown of Ubima in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State may 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. Amen,” the party said.

APC recalls Amaechi’s comments on financial hardship

The APC also referred to an earlier comment on Channels Television attributed to Mr Amaechi in which he reportedly said he had become financially constrained to the extent that his wife was now feeding him.

The party linked that comment to his latest disclosure about his inability to afford his late mother’s medication.

“Rotimi Amaechi’s uncanny confessions must not be missed. First, he howled that he had become so broke and hungry that his wife was now feeding him. Now, he has stated that his inability to afford medications killed his mother at 89,” Mr Morka said.

The APC argued that Mr Amaechi’s financial difficulties were difficult to reconcile with his long career in public office.

The ruling party said his inability to support himself and his family financially after leaving public office raised questions about his productivity outside government.

“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 party said.

“Just three years out of office, he has become destitute, unable to fend for himself and his loved ones.”

APC questions Amaechi’s suitability for vice presidency

The APC further questioned Mr Amaechi’s suitability for the vice presidency, accusing him of seeking political office to regain access to public resources.

The party said Mr Amaechi’s reported financial difficulties were evidence, in its view, that he had become overly dependent on government positions.

“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,” Mr Morka said.

Mr Amaechi is part of the ADC’s emerging opposition platform ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The party has positioned itself as a platform for opposition figures seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027.

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The APC accused Mr Amaechi of seeking the vice presidency to return to government and continue benefiting from public resources.

“The same Rotimi Amaechi now asks Nigerians to make him vice president come 2027 so he can continue leeching on public treasury and keep the predatory lifestyle he has grown accustomed to,” the APC said.

The ruling party concluded by declaring that the presidency and other executive offices should not be treated as avenues for personal financial sustenance.

“The presidency is not a soup kitchen, and will not be a soup kitchen for Rotimi Amaechi,” Mr Morka said.

“There can be no better speaker of Rotimi Amaechi’s unfitness for the office of vice president than Rotimi Amaechi himself.”