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Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka has praised former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi for showing rare political courage during the 2022 APC presidential primaries. Amaechi refused to step down for the eventual winner, Bola Tinubu.
Speaking on Saturday at Amaechi’s 60th birthday celebration in Abuja, Soyinka said the former Rivers Governor’s refusal to bow out of the race was a standout moment of political bravery.
“I admire Rotimi Amaechi’s fighting spirit,” Soyinka said. “I watched the primaries live from Abu Dhabi, and I took rascally pleasure in seeing the incumbent president get a taste of his own medicine.”
Soyinka compared Amaechi’s defiance to Tinubu’s own resistance during the Obasanjo administration when he stood firm against alleged moves to push a third-term agenda.
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“Back then, Tinubu was the last man standing. All others had been cowed. This time around, it was Amaechi who stood his ground while others conceded,” Soyinka noted.
During the keenly contested APC primary, Tinubu clinched the party’s ticket with 1,271 votes, while Amaechi came second with 316 votes. Then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo placed third with 235 votes.
“Amaechi got on the podium and said, ‘I didn’t come all the way here to commit lúlẹ̀ (fall flat).’ That’s what democracy is about,” Soyinka added.
Amaechi served as Governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 and later as Minister under the Buhari administration. Many saw his second-place finish in the APC primary as a surprise, but for Soyinka, it was a moment worth remembering.
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