Former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed the personal and political pressure he endured during his controversial re-election as Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) in 2013, which intensified his rift with the then-President, Goodluck Jonathan.
Amaechi stated that his then-counterpart, Peter Obi, Governor of Anambra State, was among those attempting to delegitimize the election result.
He recounted a spiritual confrontation with Obi, saying: “My friend, Peter Obi was going about telling people I didn’t win the election. Unfortunately for the two of us, we met at Holy Trinity Church in Abuja, we were kneeling down at the front of the altar and I was close to him. I told him, if you swear that I didn’t win election I would resign, he said no it is politics.”
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The friction with the Presidency had been building for some time, rooted in Amaechi’s insistence on probity in the management of the Federation Account and his opposition to the alleged ceding of oil wells belonging to Rivers State to neighbouring states.
According to Amaechi, this internal party discord escalated significantly when President Jonathan allegedly swore to prevent him from securing a second term as NGF Chairman.
He stated that Jonathan dispatched his fellow governors to advise him against running, yet he stood his ground.
Amaechi said, “He (Jonathan) even sent my colleagues to advise me not to run, but I insisted on running. I eventually won but I was a bit scared because I know what will be on the headline the next morning. What was on the headline? ‘Amaechi defeats Goodluck Jonathan,’ meanwhile I wasn’t even running for the presidency and the president took it very personal.”
The election results, which saw Amaechi defeat his challenger, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, were decisive.
The official vote count was 19 votes for Rotimi Amaechi and 16 votes for Jonah Jang.
Despite the clear victory margin, the outcome was immediately disputed by the Jang-led faction, which had the backing of the Presidency.
This incident solidified the Governor’s status as an opposition figure within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The perceived affront and continuous political hostility ultimately led Amaechi, alongside four other governors, to defect to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in November 2013, fundamentally altering the political atmosphere ahead of the 2015 general elections.