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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched a blistering attack on former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, arguing that his own revelations about economic hardship have exposed what the party described as his “unfitness” for the office of Vice President.
The attack followed Amaechi’s claim that the economic policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration made it difficult for him to afford medication for his late mother, Dame Ezinne Mary Oduah Amaechi, and that the development contributed to her death at 89.
The ADC vice-presidential candidate had used what he described as his personal experience to illustrate the economic hardship Nigerians are facing under the APC-led administration.
But the APC, in a statement on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, turned the argument on its head, contending that Amaechi’s financial disclosures demonstrate his alleged dependence on public office.
“Rotimi Amaechi’s uncanny confessions must not be missed,” the ruling party said in its reaction.
“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.”
The ADC vice-presidential candidate had, at recent political events, spoken publicly about periods of financial difficulty, including difficulties meeting family expenses.
He has also consistently criticised the rising cost of living and healthcare under the Tinubu administration, making affordability a recurring theme in his opposition to the government’s economic policies.
The APC, however, said Amaechi’s circumstances were difficult to reconcile with his long career in public office.
“For four decades, Rotimi Amaechi freeloaded at the highest levels of public office,” the party alleged.
“He was never hungry and could afford medications for himself and his family. Just three years out of office, he has become destitute, unable to fend for himself and his loved ones.”
Amaechi served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly for eight years, Governor of Rivers State for two terms and Minister of Transportation for eight years.
He contested for the APC presidential ticket in 2022 but lost to incumbent President Tinubu. He is currently on the 2027 ADC presidential ticket as running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Taking a derisive swipe at Amaechi, the APC said: “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.”
The party accused Amaechi of seeking another political office to regain access to the privileges of 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.
It added: “The same Rotimi Amaechi now asks Nigerians to make him vice president come 2027 so he can continue leeching on the public treasury and keep the predatory lifestyle he has grown accustomed to.”
“The presidency is not a soup kitchen and will not be a soup kitchen for Rotimi Amaechi,” the party declared.
“No one can speak more to Rotimi Amaechi’s unfitness for the office of Vice President than Rotimi Amaechi himself,” it said.
The APC further stated that a former governor and minister who claims he can no longer comfortably support himself or pay for essential medication has exposed his inability to build a livelihood outside the government.
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