PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has berated media aides to President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for launching verbal attacks on former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, over his recent remarks on President Tinubu’s leadership capacity.
Amaechi had, during his 60th birthday celebration in Abuja, revealed that he told Tinubu in Yola prior to the 2023 presidential election that he would neither support nor work for him, citing lack of capacity as the reason. “I told Tinubu in Yola, I will not support you; I will not work for you. I did not vote for him. It was the issue of capacity,” Amaechi was quoted as saying.
Reacting, Tinubu’s Special Assistant on New Media, Olabamji Enitan Jowosimi, and Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to Wike on Public Communications and Social Media, issued responses perceived by many as harsh and dismissive of Amaechi’s concerns.
But Chief Eze, in a strongly worded statement from Port Harcourt, said the duo had only exposed their inability to counter Amaechi’s argument with facts. According to him, “In saner climes, truth is noble. But in Nigeria, honest critique attracts the wrath of bootlickers, sycophants, and self-seeking agents of propaganda, desperate to defend their paymasters.”
Eze described the Tinubu administration’s response as a failed attempt to mask its shortcomings. “Jowosimi and Olayinka couldn’t disprove Amaechi’s assertion. Instead of presenting facts to show Tinubu has capacity, they hurled invectives at a man whose contributions helped birth the APC,” he stated.
He maintained that Amaechi’s comment reflects the daily realities of Nigerians under the Tinubu government, accusing the President’s team of intolerance and media bullying. “Rather than vilify Amaechi, they should address the substance of his concerns. Nigerians are suffering, and anyone who speaks up becomes a target of media thuggery.”
Eze further slammed Wike, accusing him of hypocrisy, betrayal, and undermining Nigeria’s democracy. “Wike knows the 2023 presidential result in Rivers State was fraudulent. A true democrat would have rejected such electoral robbery. But Wike prefers to dine with impunity while the nation bleeds,” Eze declared.
The APC chieftain said Wike has “sold his conscience to political devilry,” calling him a man “bereft of integrity, driven by envy, and addicted to blackmail.”
He warned that Wike’s entry into APC will not shield him from political accountability. “Wike thinks he can play one leg in PDP and one in APC. But men like Akpabio, Umahi, Uzodinma, and Oshiomhole are waiting to cut him down to size.”
Eze also claimed that Wike’s politics of betrayal and Tinubu’s alleged incompetence are fueling the economic and security crises in the country. “Tinubu’s presidency has plunged Nigeria into hunger, insecurity, and despair. Wike is responsible for 75% of the hardship Nigerians face due to his support for this failed leadership.”
He thanked Wike for “reciting Amaechi’s achievements in governance,” adding that Tinubu and his media aides are “dancing on the graves of victims of their policies while campaigning for 2027.”
Eze accused Tinubu’s team of evading accountability and warned that “hungry Nigerians will end this suffering at the ballot box.” He emphasized that Amaechi is not seeking power but only expressing the truth millions of Nigerians already feel.
He urged citizens to remain hopeful, describing Amaechi as a man with a proven democratic track record. “Nigerians must not despair. The political climate will soon change, and Wike will learn that he lacks the national appeal he desperately seeks. He is a liability to democracy, not its champion,” Eze concluded.
