Amaechi Clears Air on Meeting With US Officials, Urges Focus on Free and Fair Elections

Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has addressed allegations that he and other opposition figures met with American officials to influence the outcome of past elections against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting the meeting was solely about ensuring a free and fair election.

Speaking at the National Conference of Editors in Abuja, Amaechi said there were no discussions aimed at pressuring the United States to support the opposition or citing claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria.

“There have been talks about some clandestine meetings in America. No, there was no meeting like that. There was just one meeting, and the discussion was about ensuring there would be no violence in the election,” Amaechi clarified.

The former governor also commented on the state of journalism in Nigeria, noting a shift from the military era when journalists actively fought against bad governance. He argued that today’s journalists often shy away from criticizing leaders from their own ethnic regions, allowing ethnicity and personal interest to influence reporting.

“As journalists, nobody wants to write against their brother. Nigerians don’t hate bad government; it’s just that the bad president is from another part of the country,” Amaechi said.

He emphasized that Nigeria must allow citizens to live, work, and thrive across all regions and that insecurity largely stems from poverty and denial of legitimate means of livelihood. “If you refuse to create legitimate means of livelihood for the citizens, they will create for themselves illegitimate means of livelihood,” he warned.

Amaechi concluded by urging Nigerians to use legitimate electoral processes to remove bad governments, stressing that the country can only progress when the rule of law and equality of opportunity prevail.