Anabs Sara-Igbe, a Niger Delta leader and prominent member of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), has slammed former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, calling him unfit to become Nigeria’s president.
Sara-Igbe accused Amaechi of diverting opportunities meant for Rivers State people to his associates and girlfriends while in office.
He said Amaechi had served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Governor of Rivers State for eight years, and Minister of Transportation for another eight years, yet failed to build a strong support base in his home region.
He argued that the recent attack targeting Amaechi in his hometown raised questions about his grassroots support.
“If Amaechi was truly on ground in his village, such a thing would not happen. When people believe you have done well for them, they will defend you. But for a stranger to come into your village to attack you shows you don’t have that support,” Sara-Igbe said.
He also lambasted the silence of local authorities and community leaders following the incident, noting that neither the local government chairman nor the Rivers State government had publicly condemned the attack.
“You were one of the most powerful ministers at the federal level. How many Rivers people did you empower? Instead, you took jobs meant for Rivers people and gave them to your girlfriends and friends,” he alleged.
The PANDEF chieftain also faulted Amaechi’s record as Minister of Transportation, accusing him of failing to develop rail infrastructure connecting the Niger Delta to other parts of the country.
“As Minister of Transportation for eight years, what did he do for the Niger Delta? He could not build a railway linking the region to Abuja. Yet he built a railway to Niger Republic,” Sara-Igbe said.
He warned that Amaechi might struggle to gain political support from the Niger Delta if he pursues a presidential ambition, insisting that many leaders in the region remain dissatisfied with his record in office.
“I am not stopping him from contesting, but he will not get the support of the Niger Delta. Many of us who know him well will not support him,” he said.
