A former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has alleged that he was forced out of the People’s Democratic Party by former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience Jonathan.
Amaechi made the claim during an interview on Channels Television on Friday, stating that he was “literally chased out” of the PDP following political disagreements.
“The president, Goodluck and his wife chased me out and handed over the structure to other people. So, I moved with all of us who were governors. My offence was because I was chairman of the Governors’ Forum,” he said.
“I left PDP. The country knew what happened. I was literally chased out of PDP. You want me to remind you that I was chased out of PDP? President Goodluck Jonathan with his wife. He took over the political structure in Rivers State and chased me out.”
The former Minister of Transportation also said he would not remain silent in the face of what he described as injustice, noting that he experienced a similar situation in the All-Progressives Congress.
“The same happened. I was chased out of APC. Then I went to ADC, but that’s not even the issue,” he said, adding that he disagreed with some of the policies pursued by political actors.
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Amaechi disclosed that he had held several discussions with Jonathan over their differences, including issues surrounding party primaries and governance.
“I have sat down with President Goodluck Jonathan several times on the issue of my disagreement and what the policies are. The first day they said President Tinubu won the primary, I told him I don’t agree with him,” he said.
He stressed the need for inclusive governance in a diverse country like Nigeria, warning against policies that Favor a narrow group.
“Nigeria is complex, and it’s huge. All interests must come to play. Businessmen’s interests must be protected. You must assist them to grow their business. You must run the economy in such a way that everybody can have a say,” he added.
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