Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has stated that he and former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, would have opposed President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the current state of the nation, had they still been serving governors.
Amaechi made the remark on Tuesday in Abuja during the public presentation of Lamido’s autobiography titled Being True to Myself.
Reflecting on their time in office, Amaechi who is also a former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum highlighted their bold stance in challenging the Federal Government, emphasizing a spirit of accountability that characterized their tenure.
“I asked you (Lamido) this morning if what is happening now in Nigerian politics would have occurred during our time as governors. You said no and I agree. We would have confronted the government and the president. That was how radical you were. That’s how our Governors Forum operated. We were committed to driving change,” he said.
Amaechi also spoke about his political relationship with Lamido, describing it as one of mutual respect and shared ideals, though not without disagreements.
“We were close allies in government, though we had our differences. I mistakenly assumed he was as radical as I was, and I often looked to him during decisive moments,” he said.
He recounted their eventual political split, which occurred during efforts to oppose then-President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We had all agreed to challenge President Jonathan and formed a committee of governors and others. But in the end, Lamido opted to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP). We believed the SDP would lead to electoral defeat and chose to remain with the APC. That disagreement marked the end of our alliance,” Amaechi explained.
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