Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has stated that both he and former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, would not have tolerated the current state of affairs in Nigeria if they were still serving as governors.
Amaechi, who chaired the Nigeria Governors’ Forum during Lamido’s second tenure as governor, emphasised that their era was marked by bold opposition and a strong commitment to holding the federal government accountable.
Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at the public presentation of Lamido’s autobiography, ‘Being True to Myself’, Amaechi reflected on their shared governance principles.
“I asked you (Lamido) this morning, what is going on currently in the country, in Nigerian politics — would it have happened when we were governors? You said no. And the answer is no,” Amaechi remarked.
He added, “We would have confronted the government, confronted the president. That’s how radical you were. That’s how our Governors Forum operated. That’s how determined we were to change things.”
Amaechi also shared insights into his political relationship with Lamido, noting that although they were once close allies in government, their paths eventually diverged over strategic differences.
“We were quite good friends in government. We had our bad times when we disagreed. I made the mistake of assuming he was as radical as I was. So, he was one of the governors I clung to when it came to radical decisions,” Amaechi admitted.
He continued, “The last one before we broke ranks was when we all agreed to go against President Jonathan. We formed a committee of governors and others. At the end of the day, he went to find a new party, the SDP. We said, ‘If we go to the SDP, we will lose the election. Let’s hang on to this one called the APC.’ He disagreed and left us. That’s where we parted ways.”