Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
In an interview that has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s political landscape, former Minister of Transportation and ex‑Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has delivered a withering assessment of two presidents he served or once supported, declaring that Muhammadu Buhari was “overwhelmed” by the burdens of democratic governance and that Bola Ahmed Tinubu has achieved “no significant achievement” since assuming office in 2023. The remarks, made during a one‑on‑one conversation with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo on the #WithChude podcast, were recorded at Amaechi’s Abuja residence as he marked his 61st birthday and come just days after he formally rejected the outcome of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary, which he described as “concocted”.
Amaechi recounted a private conversation with Buhari during their time in government, when he expressed concern that the administration was failing to meet the expectations of Nigerians who had voted for it in 2015. He recalled reminding the former president that many Nigerians believed they were electing the same decisive leader who had ruled the country as a military head of state between 1983 and 1985. “Mr President, do you realise that when Nigerians were voting for us, they thought they were voting for the Buhari of 1983?” Amaechi said he asked. According to him, Buhari replied: “That Buhari was young. That Buhari had no parliament. So it’s different.” Amaechi said the response convinced him that the former president recognised the limitations he faced in office, particularly due to age and the complexities of democratic governance. “My wife said the president has acknowledged that he’s overwhelmed,” Amaechi said while narrating the incident.
In one of the most startling revelations of the interview, Amaechi disclosed that he actually quit Buhari’s government before the end of the administration, admitting that the late president eventually became “overwhelmed” by the weight of leadership. Despite the criticism, Amaechi stopped short of declaring Buhari a failure, insisting that the administration recorded some achievements in infrastructure development. “There was progress on the side of the roads. There was progress on the side of the rails. There was progress in the issue of water,” he said, while maintaining that Buhari genuinely loved Nigeria and gave ministers considerable autonomy to carry out their duties.
The former minister was far less charitable in his assessment of the Tinubu administration. Asked to identify any major success recorded by the government since President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, Amaechi said he could not point to any. “What has Tinubu done successfully?” he asked during the interview. When the interviewer suggested that the removal of fuel subsidy and the growth in government revenues could be considered achievements, Amaechi dismissed the argument, saying the government had failed to translate policy decisions into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians. Pressed further on whether there was any area in which the administration had succeeded, Amaechi repeated his position. “I have seen no success in this government.” The former governor argued that Nigerians are grappling with worsening economic hardship and rising poverty despite the government’s reform agenda, and accused political leaders of enriching themselves while leaving citizens to suffer.
Amaechi used the interview to clarify his political future, insisting that he remains a member of the ADC and that no one has offered him a vice‑presidential ticket. “I stand by what I said about ‘concocted results’,” he said firmly. “But I am still a member of ADC. No one has asked me to be VP.” He also defended his political record, insisting he is different from politicians driven only by personal gain. “People say politicians lie, but I don’t lie,” he said. “My record speaks for me.” The interview covered a wide range of topics, including his views on Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, David Mark, Nyesom Wike, and former President Goodluck Jonathan, as well as his personal values, marriage, friendship with Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, and why he considers Olusegun Obasanjo Nigeria’s greatest leader despite what he described as a “messiah complex”.
Amaechi’s blunt verdict on two presidents has reignited debate about the performance of past and present administrations. His admission that he left Buhari’s government because the former president was overwhelmed adds a new layer to the history of that administration, while his declaration that Tinubu has achieved “no success” is certain to draw sharp reactions from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). As the 2027 election season gathers momentum, Amaechi’s voice – uncompromising, critical, and unsparing – is likely to become a recurring feature of the opposition’s campaign against the incumbent.
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