Former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has stated that he has never sponsored thugs during his political career.
Amaechi, who served as the governor of Rivers state from 2007 to 2015 and later as the minister of transportation under President Muhammadu Buhari, explained in an interview with ABN TV that his priest had warned him against promoting political violence, as it could jeopardize his chances of getting into heaven.
He said, “Let me quote former President Jonathan, he said, no life worth my ambition. You will not see me in any political meeting planning for thugs, you will not see me say this money is for thugs; I will not.”
He further explained, “My Priest tells me that anybody who dies in the course of that money, you will be held accountable. The society may not hold you accountable or send you to prison because you are a big man — but God will not allow you into heaven because he will hold you accountable. I don’t want to miss heaven.”
Amaechi emphasized that he teaches his family to live by these principles, adding, “That’s why I teach my children, my wife can testify, I teach it at home, we would like to go to heaven.”
He addressed public misconceptions, saying, “When they say I am stubborn it’s not correct; I’m only disciplined. Let one person, including my former boss, say that I betrayed him before, and you will see if it is true or not when I say my own story.”
His remarks come amid rising tensions between the current Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over control of the state’s political structure.
The political crisis escalated after local government elections were marked by violence at secretariats in Emohua, Eleme, and Ikwerre.
In the interview, Amaechi described Rivers state as the “capital of betrayal,” claiming that many politicians in the state owe their careers to him.
He said his key principles in mentoring young politicians were honesty and public service, adding, “Name one politician in Port Harcourt that is in the space that didn’t pass through me.”
Referring to Fubara, he said, “Sim (Fubara) was an accountant under me, he was an accountant under Wike. When I became governor, Wike became Chief of Staff but, I don’t like calling his name; unfortunately, I don’t know why I’m calling his name.”
Amaechi continued, “Just name any Rivers politician that didn’t pass through me — only people you can mention are the likes of Prince Uche Secondus; we were contemporaries, maybe Senator Lee.”
He attributed the current political climate to a lack of character among today’s politicians, stating, “It’s not about mentorship; it’s about hunger. A lot of them are hungry and could not manage the situation.”
Reflecting on his own political journey, Amaechi said, “I joined politics at the age of 22 and there were two camps: Rufus George camp, very poor and broke; we hardly had food to eat and Abule’s camp which was very rich and everybody was rushing to him, he had a bank.”
He added, “But those of us who bothered about character, because my father taught me character, stood with Rufus without knowing if we would win or not. And at the end of the day, God delivered us and we became government. He became governor and I became Special Assistant.”
Finally, Amaechi contrasted today’s politicians with those of his time, saying, “The crop of politicians then are different from what we have now, I am not interested in politics…I will discuss politics at the right time.”
