March 20, (THEWILL) – The National President of the Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy, Comrade Igbini Odafe Emmanuel, has slammed former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, questioning his moral authority to criticize President Bola Tinubu over the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, had on Wednesday strongly condemned Tinubu’s decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the Rivers State House of Assembly. He described the move as a brazen abuse of power, warning that it undermined democracy and violated the Nigerian Constitution.
According to Amaechi, the 1999 Constitution explicitly outlines the legal process for removing a governor under Section 188, which does not empower the President to unilaterally suspend elected officials. He further labeled the action as an “unlawful power grab” and called on Nigerians to resist what he termed a “violation of the Constitution and a rape of democracy.”
However, in a counter-statement issued on Thursday, Emmanuel dismissed Amaechi’s stance, expressing shock that the former governor had the audacity to challenge Tinubu’s decision.
He recalled that during his tenure as Rivers governor (2007-2015), Amaechi effectively shut down the state judiciary for over a year, allegedly to protect his political interests. Emmanuel lamented that the closure led to severe injustice, leaving inmates awaiting trial stuck in prison, denying bail to eligible detainees, and preventing court-ordered releases.
“I was shocked to read Amaechi’s statement condemning Tinubu’s decision. This is the same Amaechi who, in 2014, shut down the Rivers judiciary for over a year simply because he feared that the then PDP-led federal government under President Goodluck Jonathan would use the courts to remove him from office,” Emmanuel said.
He further noted that the closure of the judiciary under Amaechi’s administration caused untold hardship for many Rivers residents, who suffered financial and legal setbacks due to the lack of access to the courts.
“Amaechi’s actions resulted in countless Nigerians being denied justice. Hundreds of prisoners who were due for bail or release were unjustly held for an extra year. Ordinary citizens with pending litigation lost money, property, and legal rights due to his reckless abuse of power. Yet today, he is posturing as a defender of democracy,” Emmanuel added.
The VATLAD president also argued that Amaechi, who became governor through a Supreme Court ruling rather than an electoral contest, had no moral standing to lecture anyone on constitutional governance.
“In any society where democracy is truly upheld, someone with such a record should have been barred from holding public office. His past actions disqualify him from preaching about the rule of law,” Emmanuel asserted.
He called on Nigerians, the judiciary, and the media to hold Amaechi accountable for his past and demand an unreserved public apology for his unconstitutional actions.
“Nigerians have every right to question President Tinubu’s leadership, but they should not be deceived into thinking that Amaechi and others with worse governance records are better alternatives in 2027,” Emmanuel concluded.
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