The All Progressives Congress (APC) has publicly attacked former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, questioning his suitability for the office of vice president after he claimed financial hardship prevented him from funding his late mother's medical treatment.
In a press statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka on Sunday, October 4, the ruling party responded to recent remarks by Amaechi, who is currently the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general elections.
APC Questions Four Decades in Public Office
Amaechi had reportedly said his inability to pay for medication contributed to the death of his mother, Dame Ezinne Mary Oduah Amaechi, who died at the age of 89. He had also earlier said his wife was now responsible for feeding him.
The APC statement drew attention to Amaechi's lengthy career in government, which included two terms as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two terms as governor of the state, and two terms as minister of transportation under the Buhari administration. The party argued that someone who spent four decades in high public office and emerged unable to sustain himself or his family raises serious questions about financial responsibility.
APC's Strong Rebuke of Amaechi's Claims
The statement reads in part:
"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. Just three years out of office, he has become destitute, unable to fend for himself and his loved ones."
Morka described the situation as evidence of an inability to remain productive without access to government patronage, saying Amaechi "must be a loafer, aimless and irresponsible."
APC Rejects Amaechi's 2027 Ambitions
The party went further to argue that Amaechi's own statements disqualify him from seeking the second-highest office in Nigeria.
"The presidency is not a soup kitchen, and will not be a soup kitchen for Rotimi Amaechi," Morka wrote in the statement.
"There can be no better speaker of Rotimi Amaechi's unfitness for the office of vice president than Rotimi Amaechi himself," he added.
Amaechi was ratified as the ADC's vice-presidential candidate on May 29, 2026, and the party's presidential candidate is Peter Obi, who left the Labour Party and joined the ADC on May 2, 2026.
