In response to what it deemed as “inciting, dangerous, and indistinguishable from the separatist rhetoric of Nnamdi Kanu,” a civil society organisation known as the Coalition for the Defence of Nigeria’s Democracy (CDND) demanded the swift arrest and prosecution of Rotimi Amaechi, the former minister of transportation.
Amaechi, who recently switched political parties from APC to ADC, made the contentious remarks on Thursday at the Africa Polling Institute’s 2025 Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey Report unveiling in Abuja.
The CDND National President, Dr. Rufus Obadiah, released a statement in Abuja in which the group accused Amaechi of using his comments about revolution and bloodshed as a political tactic to undermine Nigeria’s fragile stability. The statement goes on to accuse Amaechi of doing this in the run-up to the 2027 elections.
Taking matters into one’s own hands is the only option to halt Bola Tinubu in 2027, according to Amaechi. He went on to say that no revolution can succeed without bloodshed. Such analogies are not without danger. The remarks spoken by this individual, who has a history of sitting at the highest levels of power and now seeks to sow discord in order to become president, are calculated, according to Obadiah.
The CDND expressed its “deeply alarmed” by the former minister’s attempt to compare Nigeria to other nations where government overthrows have occurred as a consequence of huge rallies, such as Bangladesh and Peru.
By pointing to previous revolutions in other countries, praising their successes, and then complaining that Nigeria is “too docile,” you are obviously trying to spark a civil war. This should not be taken lightly by the law.
Rotimi Amaechi and Nnamdi Kanu are conceptually identical in this regard. According to the group, both candidates have exploited violent rhetoric, called for civil disobedience, and threatened violence in order to further their political agendas.
Recently, Amaechi announced his ambition to run for president in 2027 on the ADC platform. He managed Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 and was Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation under President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023. He claims that he can “turn the country around” in his first term.
However, CDND brushed off the proclamation, calling it “self-righteous opportunism from a man who spent 16 years in public office with little to show.”
No day of Rotimi Amaechi’s life has been spent working for a private company. He served eight years as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, eight years as Governor, and eight more years as Minister, all while receiving public funding. Despite his best efforts, Obadiah lamented that Nigeria’s transport system is still in a sorry state, our ports are inoperable, and the train projects he supported are beset by corruption, indecipherability, and inflation.
Their claims that Amaechi’s tenure as transport minister was “underwhelming and overhyped” were based on the following: infrastructure delivery delays, failed train expansions, and unanswered issues regarding the multi-billion dollar Chinese loans that were utilised to finance these projects.
“On what platform is Rotimi Amaechi running her campaign?” The Chinese rail loans that put our independence on the line? That train that never ran between Port Harcourt and Maiduguri? Or the much-touted but still unfinished Lagos-Ibadan railway? Angry speeches should not mislead Nigerians. According to Obadiah, Amaechi’s record is more of an indictment than a reformer’s resume.
CDND went on to condemn Amaechi’s comments as “stunningly arrogant and morally bankrupt,” in which he blames the people for being powerless against the dominance of the elite.
Why does he think it’s okay to tell Nigerians they’re powerless? Who was the average citizen who undermined anti-corruption institutions, stole security votes, or awarded exorbitant contracts? A group of powerful people who messed up government are now making fun of the people they let down. They said it was the most callous thing anyone could do.
“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,” Amaechi stated in his remarks on Thursday.
Sitting down in your residence, you gripe and moan… Why would you assume that the powerful will entirely relinquish control? It was a “call to arms disguised as political analysis,” according to CDND.
There is no morally upstanding leader in Nigeria who would ever portray the political struggle as a fight between the common people and the powerful, or advocate for violent opposition. When this happens, civil wars break out. Nnamdi Kanu was prosecuted by the Buhari administration for remarks that were significantly less controversial. How come Amaechi is still free? “What am I to do?” Obadiah enquired.
According to the group, other political figures in Nigeria could be discouraged from using extremist rhetoric to gain power if the country’s security authorities move quickly to investigate and convict Amaechi.
We urge the Attorney General’s Office, the State Services Department, and the Inspector-General of Police to consider Amaechi’s remarks a national security issue. When ex-ministers openly glorify violence, democracies collapse. According to the statement, “Amaechi’s microphone must not become a licence for anarchy” if Nnamdi Kanu’s radio was deemed traitorous.
Additionally, the group cautioned that the ADC should not align itself with “extremist populism” or run the danger of providing a sanctuary for political figures involved in “trafficking in chaos.”
Whether it supports democratic discourse or revolutionary violence, the African Democratic Congress must declare its position clearly. Obadiah emphasised that the 2027 election should not be treated as a war and that parties engaging in such behaviour should face consequences.
“Cosmetic humility masking deep political entitlement” is exemplified by Amaechi’s remarks about wanting to “japa” but being stopped by his wife, as pointed out by CDND.
After 16 years in government with no results, the correct course of action is not revolution but rather introspection and responsibility. The issue is that Amaechi and the rest of Nigeria’s political elite don’t care about having shame. They have this grand vision of destroying the house they helped bring down and then coming back to rebuild it with our blood and bodies. The organisation emphasised that Nigerians ought to reject this insanity.
Last but not least, Obadiah warned young Nigerians against falling for a “violent fantasy masquerading as reform,” stating unequivocally that civic pressure, democratic institutions, and a change in the country’s constitution are necessary for Nigeria’s salvation, rather than resorting to slaughter.