Coalition calls for Amaechi's arrest over 'inciting remarks' against Tinubu

A civil society group, the Coalition for the Defence of Nigeria’s Democracy (CDND), has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi over recent public remarks which it described as “inciting, dangerous, and indistinguishable from the separatist rhetoric of Nnamdi Kanu.”

Amaechi, who recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the controversial comments on Thursday during the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey Report by the Africa Polling Institute in Abuja.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, July 7, 2025, and signed by its National President, Dr. Rufus Obadiah, CDND said Amaechi’s remarks — including a reference to revolution and bloodshed — represent a “clear and present threat to Nigeria’s fragile stability,” and accused the former minister of stoking insurrection as a political strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.

“Amaechi said the only way to stop President Bola Tinubu in 2027 is for Nigerians to take their fate into their own hands — and then went further to suggest that no revolution can succeed without blood. These are not harmless metaphors. These are calculated words from a man who once sat at the highest tables of power and now wishes to ignite unrest as a path to the presidency,” Obadiah stated.

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The coalition stated that it was “deeply alarmed” by the former minister’s attempt to draw parallels between Nigeria and countries such as Bangladesh and Peru, where mass protests have led to government overthrows.

“When you cite examples of foreign uprisings, celebrate their outcomes, and lament that Nigeria is ‘too docile,’ you are clearly inciting civil unrest. The law must not treat this lightly. There is no meaningful difference between Rotimi Amaechi and Nnamdi Kanu in this context. Both have used inflammatory language, promoted civic disobedience, and hinted at bloodshed to advance their political causes,” the group stated.

Amaechi, who governed Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 and served as Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation under President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023, recently declared his intention to run for president in 2027 on the platform of the ADC. According to him, he needs only one term to “turn the country around.”

But CDND dismissed the declaration as “self-righteous opportunism from a man who spent 16 years in public office with little to show.”

“Rotimi Amaechi has never worked in the private sector for even a day in his life. He moved from being Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, to Governor for eight years, then Minister for another eight — all within the public purse. And yet, Nigeria’s transport sector remains in shambles, our seaports dysfunctional, and the rail projects he championed mired in debt, opacity, and inflation,” Obadiah said.

The group described Amaechi’s record as Minister of Transportation as “underwhelming and overhyped,” citing failed rail expansions, delays in infrastructure delivery, and unresolved questions around the multi-billion-dollar Chinese loans used to fund projects.

“What exactly is Rotimi Amaechi campaigning on? The Chinese rail loans that mortgaged our sovereignty? The Port Harcourt–Maiduguri rail that never took off? Or the Lagos–Ibadan railway that remains incomplete despite fanfare and borrowing? Let Nigerians not be deceived by fiery speeches. Amaechi’s track record is not a reformer’s résumé — it’s an indictment,” Obadiah stated.

CDND further criticised Amaechi’s remarks blaming citizens for their own helplessness in the face of elite domination, calling it a “stunningly arrogant and morally bankrupt position.”

“How dare he tell Nigerians they made themselves helpless? Was it the ordinary citizen who awarded inflated contracts, looted security votes, or sabotaged anti-corruption agencies? The same elites who made a mess of governance are now mocking the people they failed. It is the height of insensitivity,” the group stated.

In his Thursday comments, Amaechi said, “The elites who are stealing Nigerian money are not up to 100,000 but you have 200 million Nigerians who can fight 100,000 men. You sit down in your house and complain and grumble… What makes you think the elites would move their hands completely?”

CDND described the statement as “a call to arms disguised as political analysis.”

“No leader with a conscience should ever frame politics as a battle of Nigerians versus elites, or suggest that resistance requires violence. This is how civil wars begin. The Buhari government prosecuted Nnamdi Kanu for far less provocative statements. Why is Amaechi still walking free?” Obadiah asked.

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The group stated that Nigeria’s security agencies must act swiftly to investigate and prosecute Amaechi, thereby deterring other political actors from adopting radical rhetoric in pursuit of power.

“We call on the Inspector-General of Police, the Department of State Services, and the Office of the Attorney-General to treat Amaechi’s speech as a matter of national security. No democracy survives when former ministers openly romanticise bloodshed. If Nnamdi Kanu’s radio was considered treasonous, then Amaechi’s microphone must not become a licence for anarchy,” the statement read.