Hardship: APC slams Amaechi, says call for protest inciting

The All Progressives Congress has slammed a former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, for comments that allegedly incited public unrest over the current economic situation in Nigeria.

PUNCH Online on Tuesday reported that Amaechi, in an interview with ABN TV, expressed his disappointment at the way Nigerians are responding to the nation’s current economic challenges, stating that he had expected more visible reactions from citizens, particularly the youth.

The former Rivers State governor lamented the high cost of living, rising fuel prices, and other economic pressures.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of public protests against rising costs of living.

However, the ruling APC described his remarks as “irresponsible and unpatriotic.”

APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, disclosed this in a Friday press statement titled, “Rotimi Amaechi, Inciting Anarchy Is Irresponsible And Unpatriotic.”

According to the statement, the party noted that such should not be coming from a man who has held multiple high-ranking government positions for over two decades.

Morka accused Amaechi of playing a dangerous game of incitement.

According to Morka, Amaechi’s rhetoric is hypocritical, especially given his long-standing involvement in Nigeria’s governance, which has contributed to the nation’s challenges.

“Amaechi’s comments are inflammatory and seek to exploit the economic discomforts that are a direct result of necessary reforms being implemented by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement read.

Morka added that Nigeria’s current economic reforms are already showing positive signs and that citizens should exercise patience as the administration continues its work to stabilise the country.

The APC also took aim at other opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, suggesting that their criticisms stem from frustration at being out of power.

“The only real anger that Amaechi and his fellow tribesmen of naysayers of the likes of Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, must feel is that they are not in the saddle of government today. But that was a decision made by Nigeria’s ultimate political authority—the electorate,” it read partly.

The statement concluded by urging Nigerians not to fall prey to the provocations of opposition leaders who, according to the APC, seek to manipulate the populace for their own political gain.

The statement noted, “If those in power “steal money,” as Amaechi mischievously alleged, how come he can’t afford “to buy diesel” barely two years after “stealing” for over 24 years in power as Speaker, Governor, and Minister?”

The party reaffirmed its commitment to steering Nigeria through its economic recovery and called on citizens to remain steadfast in supporting the government’s efforts.

“We urge Nigerians to dismiss the call to anarchy by Amaechi and his partisan tribesmen and to remain patient and continue to support President Tinubu’s bold effort to transform our country’s economy once and for all,” it stated.

Meanwhile, the party also slammed Amaechi for neglecting Rivers’ crisis between sitting and former governors Nyesom Wike and Sim Fubara, where he was once a governor.

“One would expect Amaechi to keep busy trying to solve the crippling crisis in Rivers State that he once governed. Instead, he has chosen to stoke anarchy on a national scale.

“Weaponising protest and exploiting citizen’s economic discomfort for selfish political objectives, as these partisan tribesmen are doing, is irresponsible and decidedly unpatriotic,” the party concluded.