2027 Elections: Security Agencies Asked to Arrest Ex-Transport Minister Amaechi, Group Gives Reason

• The Coalition for the Defence of Nigeria’s Democracy (CDND) has urged security agencies to arrest former transport minister Rotimi Amaechi over alleged inciting remarks
• The group condemned Amaechi’s reference to revolution and bloodshed during a recent public event, warning that such comments may cause violence ahead of the 2027 elections
• CDND also criticised Amaechi’s presidential ambition in the new coalition ADC, questioning his public service record

Abuja, FCT - The Coalition for the Defence of Nigeria’s Democracy (CDND), a civil society organisation, has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of former minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over recent public remarks that it described as inflammatory and inciting.

The CDND said in a statement on Monday, July 7, that Amaechi’s comments, which referenced “revolution” and “bloodshed,” amounted to incitement, likening it to the separatist rhetoric of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu.

According to the group, Amaechi, who recently left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the remarks on Thursday, July 3, during the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey Report in Abuja, organised by the Africa Polling Institute.

CDND’s president, Dr Rufus Obadiah, said the former minister’s statement, which suggested that revolutions require bloodshed and urged Nigerians to “take their fate into their own hands”, posed a “clear and present threat to Nigeria’s fragile stability.”

“These are not metaphors,” Obadiah said. “These are dangerous words from a man who sat at the highest levels of power and is now toying with unrest as a political strategy.”

CDND compares Amaechi's remarks to Nnamdi Kanu's rhetoric

Obadiah warned that Amaechi’s remarks, including references to popular uprisings in countries like Peru and Bangladesh, were attempts to “romanticise chaos” and inspire civic unrest ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“There is no meaningful difference between Rotimi Amaechi and Nnamdi Kanu in this context,” Obadiah stated.

“Both have deployed inflammatory language and glorified civil disobedience in their political messaging.”

Amaechi, a two-term governor of Rivers state and transport minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari, recently declared his intention to run for president in 2027 under the ADC platform. He said he would need just one term to fix the country.

However, CDND dismissed his ambition as “self-righteous opportunism,” accusing the former minister of presiding over a transport sector plagued by inefficiency, debt, and stalled projects.

“What exactly is Rotimi Amaechi campaigning on?” Obadiah asked.

“The Lagos–Ibadan rail that remains incomplete? The multi-billion-dollar Chinese loans mortgaging our future? Nigerians must not be deceived.”

The group also criticised Amaechi for blaming ordinary Nigerians for their perceived helplessness in the face of elite domination.

“How dare he tell Nigerians they made themselves helpless?” Obadiah said.

“This is the same elite class that awarded inflated contracts and crippled anti-corruption institutions now turning around to lecture the public on revolution.”

In a portion of his speech quoted by the group, Amaechi allegedly said:

“The elites who are stealing Nigerian money are not up to 100,000, but you have 200 million Nigerians who can fight 100,000 men.”

CDND described the comment as “a call to arms disguised as political analysis.”

IGP, DSS urged to intervene

The group urged the Inspector-General of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Office of the Attorney-General to treat the former minister’s speech as a national security concern.

“If Nnamdi Kanu’s radio broadcasts were deemed treasonous, then Amaechi’s microphone must not be a licence for anarchy,” CDND said.

CDND also warned the African Democratic Congress to disavow what it termed “extremist populism,” or risk becoming a haven for political opportunists.

“The 2027 election is not a war. Parties that frame it as one must be held accountable," Badiah said.

The group condemned Amaechi’s remarks about wanting to “japa” (leave the country), calling them “cosmetic humility masking deep entitlement.”

“When you’ve held office for 16 years and failed to deliver, the next step is not revolution—it is reflection and accountability,” Obadiah added.

“Nigeria’s political class wants to burn down what it ruined, and rebuild it with our lives and blood.”

Nigerian youths urged to avoid violence

CDND urged Nigerian youths not to be lured by what it called “violent fantasy masquerading as reform,” insisting that change must come through constitutional means, not conflict.

“Amaechi had his chance and failed,” Obadiah said.

“Now he seeks to rise from the ashes of instability he helped create. That is not patriotism. That is sabotage—and it must not go unpunished.”

You won’t return to power - Wike tells Amaechi

Meanwhile, Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has criticised Amaechi over his alliance with the ADC coalition to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election.

The FCT minister said:

“Because you have left office, you are angry. You said Nigerians are angry. You want to come back to power; you won’t come back."

Source: Legit.ng