Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said he would end his marriage if his wife became president and governed the country in the manner of President Bola Tinubu.
Amaechi made the remark during an interview with Rapid TV, where he called on Nigerians to put aside religious, ethnic and political differences and vote against Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The former Rivers State governor said his personal relationship with his wife would not stop him from criticising her leadership if she failed to govern effectively.
“Today, the closest person in my life is my wife, not my children. So tomorrow, if my wife becomes president and is doing what Tinubu is doing, I’ll be mad to follow my wife, despite my emotional attachment to her. It’s either she changes, or I leave her,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to judge political leaders based on their performance rather than personal affiliations.
“I expect Nigerians not to… forget religion, forget politics, forget ethnicity. Just abandon Tinubu,” Amaechi stated.
The African Democratic Congress chieftain argued that the ruling administration had already had an opportunity to govern and that Nigerians should consider giving the opposition a chance in 2027.
“There’s a difference between Tinubu’s team and our team. They have been tested, so you know that the next four years you will die. We have not been tested, so give us a chance,” he said.
However, Amaechi acknowledged that his previous records as Rivers State governor and Minister of Transportation could be assessed by Nigerians.
“The only person you can say that has been tested is me, because I’ve been a governor. But my record speaks for itself. I was once a minister. Projects are out there,” he added.
He challenged Nigerians to examine his achievements during his tenure as governor, insisting that his administration’s performance remained open to public scrutiny.
“I was once a governor. Rivers State is there, anybody can go and verify. You can do your referendum,” he said.
Amaechi also criticised Tinubu’s administration, using the computer principle of “garbage in, garbage out” to argue that re-electing the President would produce similar outcomes.
“So now that you know that Tinubu is bad, if you know that Tinubu is bad and you garbage in the bad things, what comes out? The garbage out will also be bad,” he said.
The former minister further called on Nigerians to participate actively in the 2027 elections and resist any attempt to manipulate the results.
Drawing comparisons with voter participation in the United States, Amaechi urged Nigerians to turn out in large numbers and defend their votes.
“You see what’s happening in America? Already 52 million Americans have voted. They are coming out in their numbers,” he said.
“In the same manner, Nigerians should come out in their numbers and not only vote; stop them from openly bragging that they will rig. If they have the support of the people, would they be bragging that they would rig?”
