6th February 2025, NewsOrient, Opinion, Column, News, Governance And Development, Law And Society
By Ikechukwu Amaechi

“Amaechi is right, Nigerian politicians steal, maim and kill for power: In a democracy, power is given by the people, not taken willy-nilly by the powerful. Yes, every contest for power is a serious business. But the seriousness lies in the intense battle to win the support of the people, not to steal, maim and kill – Ikechukwu Amaechi

Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has once again stirred up the proverbial hornet’s nest by choosing to be politically incorrect in a clime where doublespeak is dubiously hoisted on the totem pole of virtuousness. But that is not surprising, given that the former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly is a straight talker who always shoots from the hip.

He could be brutally frank. In Nigerian political arena, you don’t make many friends by being direct and open but he is a born survivor.

Speaking in Abuja on January 30, at a national conference themed ‘strengthening democracy in Nigeria,’ organized by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy, and Development, the former Minister of Transportation, as he is wont to do, bucked the hypocritical trend when he reminded his audience that included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, and Senator Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Sokoto State, that the average Nigerian politician will not relinquish power unless compelled by the perceptible and unmistakable determination of the people to resist such shenanigan.

“Nobody has power and will give it to you — not even me… The politician in Nigeria is there to steal, maim and kill to remain in power. If you think Tinubu will give it to you, you are wasting your time,” he said, stressing the need for vigilance and sacrifice.

To be sure, this is not the first time he would task Nigerians to take their political destiny in their own hands.

Speaking at the 2023 TheNiche Annual Lecture in Lagos on October 28, 2023, Amaechi blamed the docility of Nigerians and their inexplicable refusal to frown at the egregious dishonesty of their leaders for the rascality of politicians.

“Nigerians don’t react to anything. Has any politician told you he is not a thief? Which politician told you he went to university, which politician told you she served in NYSC, and which politician told you he has his certificate? Nigerians know and still vote for them… Even if you come to a Nigerian’s house and kill his mother, the father will continue with his life. So, why should I waste my time?” he asked.

But even long before TheNiche lecture, he had always taken umbrage at the atrocious conducts of Nigerian politicians and seeming acquiesce of the people.

Speaking on December 15, 2013 at an event organised in Lagos to pay tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela, he challenged Nigerians to hold their leaders to account, insisting that political office holders steal state funds because Nigerians do not stone them.

So, Amaechi, in a sense, didn’t say anything new last Thursday. If anything, he has been consistent on his advocacy that the pathway to good governance and political integrity in Nigeria is for the younger generation to wake up from their slumber and fight for the soul of the country.

The fact that he is a major player in the Fourth Republic politics also makes it imperative that Nigerians should listen to him. He knows where the bodies are buried.

That also explains why officials of the Tinubu administration are pushing back forcefully. After all, he was not the only person who spoke at the Abuja event. But they know that he was telling the truth. So, their pretentious indignation is an attempt to scare him away from his self-imposed task of conscientizing the youths.

Berating Amaechi for making ‘reckless, dangerous and inflammatory remarks’ unbecoming of a former ‘public office holder,’ Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, said power is earned through democracy, not intimidation, violence or lawlessness. That is what it should be. But all pretensions to the contrary notwithstanding, Nigeria is not a democracy, the reason why his claim that the Tinubu administration was committed to upholding peace, democratic values and security for all Nigerians is a farce.

Suffice it to say that Amaechi simply amplified Tinubu’s very Machiavellian idea of power and how it is acquired. Shortly before the 2023 elections, Tinubu, the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was seen in a video admonishing top campaign operatives to ‘fight, grab and run (away) with’ political power.

“Political power is not going to be served in a restaurant. They don’t serve it a la carte. At all cost, fight for it, grab it and run with it,” he said in London. And that was exactly what political surrogates did, which is also what will happen in 2027 unless Nigerians say enough is enough, the very direction that Amaechi was pointing them to.

The very idea of fighting, grabbing and running away with political power is antithetical to democracy. In a democracy, power is given by the people in a free, fair and credible election.

Of course, in a system that has normalized the idea of power not being given by the electorate but taken forcefully by the strong, an environment that has been badly corrupted and polluted by those who believe that might is right, Amaechi’s advocacy can only be deemed as treasonable, which explains Matawalle’s angst. He threatened that security agencies have been placed on high alert, warning that any individual or group found inciting violence or attempting to destabilize the country will face the full force of the law.

“We will not tolerate any form of subversive rhetoric that seeks to undermine national unity or incite lawlessness. This government will not fold its arms and allow any individual to disrupt the peace and stability of Nigeria,” he warned.

That is laughable. How does Amaechi’s charge to Nigerians to vote and ensure that their votes are not only counted but also count in electoral outcomes be construed as an attempt to undermine national unity? The only explanation for the rage by the Tinubu government is that the guilty are afraid. Amaechi has hit them where it hurts most.

Those who disrupt national unity are those who ensure that votes do not count; people whose democracy worldwide undermine its very principles.

In a democracy, power is given by the people, not taken willy-nilly by the powerful. Yes, every contest for power is a serious business. But the seriousness lies in the intense battle to win the support of the people who hold the supreme power.

As I have always argued, democracy does not guarantee that the best candidate will win. No! But the irreducible precondition for any democratic adventure is that power must be freely given by the people.

It may be tempting to dismiss Matawalle’s threat as sheer bluster. But Nigerians must take it serious. As at today, nothing suggests that the government is planning for a free and fair poll where the choices of the majority of the electorate will prevail in 2027.

And knowing the character of successive Nigerian governments since 1999, the messenger may well be endangered. It will, therefore, not be a surprise if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) starts hounding the arrowheads of the emerging opposition to the prevailing political status-quo, with Amaechi as the prime target.

The former minister is aware of the risk he faces. At the 2023 TheNiche lecture, he said: “The worst thing about Nigerians is that even when you have not committed any crime and they pick you up tomorrow, they will chorus ‘we said it, he is a thief,’ and you will go to prison for nothing. The greatest fear I have is being found in prison for nothing and you can be found in prison for doing nothing.”

The fact that Amaechi knows the risks involved and yet is determined to bite the bullet makes his cause altruistic. And he is right. Nigerian politicians are unconscionable. They steal, maim and kill for power and will continue to do so for as long as there are no consequences for their atrocious behaviours.

For democracy to thrive, Nigerians must fight for it with all they have, a reason well-meaning people must rally round Rotimi Amaechi rather than join the band of government apologists in vilifying him.

Ikechukwu Amaechi is the MD/Editor-in-chief of TheNiche Newspaper

~ NewsOrient

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