Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has clarified his role in a high-level meeting held years ago between then-opposition figures and American officials. He firmly stated that the engagement had nothing to do with allegations of reporting “Christian genocide” to secure electoral advantage. Instead, he maintained, the discussion focused solely on ensuring Nigeria had a free and fair election.
The clarification follows recent claims that political opponents of former President Goodluck Jonathan pressured American officials. The goal, according to the allegations, was to ensure the opposition defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration, using “Christian genocide” in Nigeria as a justification.
Lawal’s Allegations and Trump’s Intervention
Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), fueled the controversy. Speaking in a television interview on November 10, Lawal alleged that a delegation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) was the first to alert the US government years ago about alleged killings of Christians in Nigeria. Lawal specifically claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former President Muhammadu Buhari, and Amaechi were present at that meeting.
Lawal’s comments resurfaced amid renewed attention after President Donald Trump recently directed the US Department of Defense to prepare for “possible action” in Nigeria over alleged attacks on Christians. The federal government subsequently dismissed Trump’s claims, arguing that Nigeria’s insecurity affects all religious groups equally, not only Christians.
Amaechi’s Account of the Meeting
Speaking at a National Conference of Editors in Abuja, Amaechi, a key figure in the former Buhari administration, provided a differing account. He asserted that no such sensitive discussions took place between the Nigerian delegation and the Americans.
“There have been talks about some clandestine meetings in America,” he said. “No, there was no meeting in America like that. There was absolutely no meeting in America like that.”
Amaechi recalled that there was “just one meeting, and we were invited to the meeting and the discussion.” He stated the American side initiated the topic: “The question was from the Americans look, we don’t want violence in this election and we should have trust that there would be no violence.”
Criticism of Nigerian Journalism
Amaechi also used the platform to criticize Nigerian journalists. He suggested they are not fighting against bad governance in the current civilian dispensation as actively as they did during the military era.
He recounted conversations with media friends: “I said, are these not the same people that fought with us when we were fighting? They say they are. I said, so what has changed in journalism because they’re no longer fighting… I think there was a difference between journalists under the military and journalists in a democracy.”
Amaechi humorously suggested one reason for the shift: “The pot under the military was smaller, and the military alone was enjoying it. The portions became smaller and we needed to expand the pot.”
He offered other, more serious reasons for the media’s perceived “silence.” He cited ethnicity, which he believes has seeped into both politics and journalism. “As journalists, nobody wants to write against their brother. Everybody’s enjoying, even if your brother is bad.” He concluded: “Nigerians don’t hate bad government, it’s just that the bad president is from another part of the country.”
Political Philosophy and Insecurity
The former governor emphasized the need for national unity. He argued that Nigeria must be a country “where anybody who comes from any part of Nigeria can survive in any part of Nigeria that he goes to.”
Amaechi also spoke directly about the root cause of the nation’s insecurity. He attributed the pervasive violence to economic deprivation: “Government is complaining about insecurity. You know the cause of insecurity. If you provide the people with poverty, if you don’t provide them with legitimate means of livelihood, they will provide for themselves an illegitimate means of livelihood.”
Amaechi served two terms as Governor of Rivers State. He later held the position of Minister of Transportation under the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari. He is reportedly positioning himself to contest the 2027 election under the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition
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