Amaechi says stopping Tinubu’s 2027 re-election requires united action, not silent complaints.
He urges Nigerians to confront elite dominance and warns that change won’t come without sacrifice.
Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has declared that President Bola Tinubu’s path to re-election in 2027 can only be halted if Nigerians rise collectively and decisively take control of their future.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday during the public unveiling of the 2025 Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey Report by the Africa Polling Institute, Amaechi dismissed the notion that political change could be achieved through passive hope or silent dissatisfaction.
“The only way to stop Tinubu from becoming president again in 2027 is to make it a contest between Nigerians and the bandits,” he stated. “If you think you can just sit back and make it happen, may God be with you.”
Amaechi expressed concern over what he described as the indifference of citizens, saying too many people complain in private but refuse to take collective action against elite domination.
“The elites stealing Nigeria’s money are not up to 100,000 in number, yet over 200 million people are unable to challenge them,” he said. “You complain in your living rooms and expect things to change. The truth is, the elites know you’re angry, but you’ve made yourself helpless.”
He pointed to examples from countries like Bangladesh, Peru, and Kenya where citizens took to the streets and forced political change through mass protests. “When Bangladeshis got fed up, they chased out their leader. What about Peru or Chile? Nigeria is the most docile society I’ve seen,” Amaechi said.
He went further, saying that lasting revolutions often come at a high cost. “Has there ever been a successful revolution without blood? Any bloodless revolution is a failure,” he warned.
Reflecting on his own frustrations, Amaechi revealed he had once considered leaving Nigeria permanently. “I told my wife I wanted to leave, like many of you. I’d be granted a diplomatic visa to stay anywhere,” he said. “But she insisted we must stay because, despite everything, Nigeria is still lovable.”
Amaechi lamented how organized labor and student bodies, which once championed mass mobilization, have lost their momentum due to internal divisions and ethnic sentiments.
“There was a time when NANS, NLC, and ASUU would meet, plan, and pressure the government. Back then, ASUU would issue a one-week ultimatum, followed by NLC’s two-week threat. But now, even NLC can’t mobilize a protest,” he said. “I once offered to join their protest, but they declined. Nigeria is in total collapse.”
He argued that politicians, once seen as a better alternative to military rule, have only deepened the country’s economic and social hardships.
“We chased out the military, hoping for change. But the political class has made life even worse,” he said.
Sharing insight from his time as governor, Amaechi noted that rising crime often reflects deeper economic distress. “If I saw a rise in robbery or kidnapping, I’d know there’s no money circulating,” he explained. “We’d pay contractors and suppliers so they could pay workers and traders. That money would then trickle through the economy, reducing crime.”
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Africa Polling Institute, Professor Bell Ihua, presented key findings from the 2025 survey, revealing that 83 percent of Nigerians have little or no confidence in the Tinubu administration. Another 80 percent distrust the National Assembly, while 79 percent lack faith in the judiciary.
“This data tells a powerful story,” Ihua said. “Nigerians are united in hardship. The government must use this information to rebuild public trust and deliver real change.”
He urged political leaders to view the findings as a scientific call to re-examine their approach to governance and reconnect with the needs of the people.
