🎧
Listen to this article
A high-profile political panel at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, turned confrontational when African Action Congress presidential hopeful Omoyele Sowore openly challenged the governance track records of veteran politicians.
Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transportation who attended the event to represent African Democratic Congress presidential contender Atiku Abubakar, quickly fired back at the accusations, demanding to know Sowore’s personal executive experience.
The fiery exchange erupted as panels debated Nigeria’s political trajectory, fuel subsidy policies, and transport sector outcomes ahead of the 2027 elections.
Sowore insisted that leaders who previously held high office must fully account for their past performance before attempting to seek public mandates once more.
Directing his criticism at Amaechi’s tenure in Rivers State and federal transportation leadership, alongside former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, Sowore argued that politicians associated with past failures owed the country an apology rather than another campaign.
“I love one thing that Amaechi said. He said that apart from Sowore and Adebayo, the rest of us have been in government and we have failed. They have no business coming back. You guys should be apologising to the Nigerian people,” he stated.
He further tied past governance records to ongoing public debates over fuel subsidies and inadequate public transportation infrastructure.
Focusing on rail projects completed during Amaechi’s time in office, Sowore questioned their tangible benefits to everyday citizens while accusing politicians of reversing their stances on economic reforms.
“If there’s anyone who has been consistent about not removing our subsidies, it has been me. And it took Amaechi and his principal almost 10 years to catch up with me,” Sowore added.
In his rebuttal, Amaechi defended his legacy, urging critics to evaluate his time in office based on physical infrastructure such as constructed roads, primary schools, and major federal railway initiatives rather than political rhetoric.
“Lagos-Ibadan railway, is it working or not? At my time, it was working. I don’t know what is happening under Tinubu. There is Abuja-Kaduna rail, working or not?” Amaechi countered.
Challenging his critic further, the former minister invited local lawyers from Rivers State to escort Sowore on a tour to verify public projects executed during his administration.
“Where are Rivers lawyers? Please take Sowore around. Sowore, I said I built that road. I built this road. I built this primary school. I built that primary school. What is your experience?” he asked before sharply telling him, “When politicians are talking, Sowore, close your mouth.”
The annual conference, carrying the theme “Beyond Limits,” runs from August 21 to 28 in Port Harcourt, serving as a major forum for legal professionals and political figures to debate national leadership.
See video below:
No Comments