Former Minister of Transportation in the immediate past administration, Rotimi Amaechi, appears to have quietly left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) following the outcome of the 2022 APC National Convention.
Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State who competed in the presidential primary election against the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and lost, has since distanced himself from APC activities. He recently warned that he should no longer be invited to any party functions.
Chief Tony Okocha, Chairman of the APC Rivers State chapter, disclosed this development at the party secretariat on Tuesday. Okocha stated that Amaechi specifically instructed the state Secretary of the APC and the executive not to send him any invitations for meetings or other engagements.
Reflecting on Amaechi’s current stance, Okocha remarked, “I was the Chief of Staff to Rotimi Amaechi. I recall that after he enrolled in Law School and completed the one-year course, he became completely incommunicado. He distanced himself from everyone. Following the presidential primary election, he vanished from the political scene. He has refused to attend any of our meetings. For example, when we called a meeting for all former governors and ministers, he sent a message through the Secretary of the party warning the executive not to send him any further invitations. If you want to know his current political affiliation, you’ll have to ask him directly, as I am unsure.”
Addressing rumors about the influence of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike on the APC in Rivers State, Okocha laughed off such suggestions. He clarified, “Wike is a staunch member of the PDP. We are APC here. Just because Wike is a minister under the APC government doesn’t mean we should be at odds with him. He doesn’t attend our meetings or influence our decisions. His only connection to the APC is his ministerial role, which doesn’t translate to him influencing our party activities. He doesn’t pay our bills or attend our meetings.”
