The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly criticised former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi over his claim that economic hardship made it difficult for him to afford medication for his late mother.
Amaechi had blamed President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies for worsening the cost of living, saying the situation affected his ability to purchase the drugs his mother needed before her death.
Reacting in a statement on Sunday, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka mocked the former governor over his reported financial difficulties and questioned his suitability for the vice-presidential position ahead of the 2027 election.
The APC began by offering prayers for the repose of the soul of Amaechi’s mother, Dame Ezinne Mary Oduah Amaechi, while also wishing the former governor good health.
The party, however, went on to highlight Amaechi’s long career in public office, which included serving as a two-term Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term governor and two-term Minister of Transportation.
The APC sarcastically suggested that employers in Amaechi’s hometown of Ubima, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, could find him a job that would provide enough income to support himself and his family.
“It is our sincere wish that employers of labour in his hometown of Ubima in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State may find him suitable for a job that pays wages sufficient for him to feed and buy medications for himself and his beloved family for the rest of his retirement,” the party said.
Morka also referred to an earlier comment attributed to Amaechi in which the former governor reportedly said he had become so financially constrained that his wife was now feeding him.
The APC linked that comment to Amaechi’s latest remarks about his mother’s medication.
“Rotimi Amaechi’s uncanny confessions must not be missed. First, he howled that he had become so broke and hungry that his wife was now feeding him. Now, he has stated that his inability to afford medications killed his mother at 89,” Morka said.
The ruling party then questioned how Amaechi, after decades in senior government positions, could now be experiencing serious financial difficulties outside public office.
“For four decades, Rotimi Amaechi freeloaded at the highest levels of public office. He was never hungry and could afford medications for himself and his family. Just three years out of office, he has become destitute, unable to fend for himself and his loved ones,” the APC alleged.
Morka further described Amaechi in highly critical terms, accusing him of being unable to remain financially productive without government patronage.
“If Amaechi is not struggling with some kind of Peter Pan syndrome, then he must be a loafer, aimless and irresponsible for his inability to be productive and earn a living outside the patronage of public office,” he said.
The APC also accused Amaechi of seeking the vice-presidential position in 2027 in order to return to access to public resources.
“The same Rotimi Amaechi now asks Nigerians to make him vice president come 2027 so he can continue… and keep the predatory lifestyle he has grown accustomed to,” the party said.
Morka concluded the statement by insisting that the presidency should not be treated as a means of providing financial support for political office holders.
“The presidency is not a soup kitchen, and will not be a soup kitchen for Rotimi Amaechi,” he said.
Amaechi had made his comments during an appearance on Politics Today on Friday, where he blamed the Tinubu administration’s policies for the economic hardship he said made it difficult to purchase medication for his mother, who died at the age of 89 after a prolonged illness.
The remarks have since triggered a political backlash from the ruling party as Amaechi continues his campaign on the ADC platform ahead of the 2027 election.
