Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has blamed former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his children’s inability to receive their education in Nigeria.
Amaechi said his family was forced to leave the country following a political disagreement with Obasanjo in 2006, when he emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Rivers State.
The former Minister of Transportation explained that the situation began after he won the PDP governorship primary ahead of the 2007 general election.
According to him, Obasanjo, who was president at the time, opposed his candidacy and took steps to prevent him from becoming the next governor of Rivers State.
Speaking during an interview on News Central Television on Friday, Amaechi recalled that he challenged the decision in court but eventually left Nigeria after the former president allegedly threatened to have him arrested.
He said the circumstances surrounding his departure affected his family, particularly his children’s education, as they had to continue their studies outside the country.
“President Obasanjo tried to stop me from being a governor but you will see that I did not go to sleep, I went to court and when he threatened arrest, I left the country,” Amaechi said.
The former governor disclosed that he spent approximately 10 months outside Nigeria during the political crisis.
He explained that his wife and children also faced difficulties during the period, as they had to move between different locations to avoid possible harassment.
According to him, the decision to enrol his children in foreign schools was not initially part of his family’s plans.
Rather, it became necessary because of the uncertainty surrounding their safety and his political situation at the time.
Amaechi said his children had already adjusted to the educational system abroad before the situation surrounding his political future was resolved.
He explained that returning them to Nigeria would have meant disrupting their education and forcing them to start afresh.
He maintained that the experience was responsible for his children’s absence from Nigerian schools, dismissing any suggestion that the decision was simply based on a preference for foreign education.
“My children did not go to Nigerian school because Obasanjo chased us out of Nigeria. My wife and children were running from one house to another. They had to go to school outside the country to stay alive and to keep learning,” he said.
In a related development, Amaechi had earlier accused President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies of contributing to the death of his mother, Mary Amaechi, who died on July 16, 2026, at the age of 89.
The former Rivers State governor made the allegation during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Friday October 2.
During the interview, Amaechi linked the rising cost of medicines and the country’s economic situation to the difficulties his family experienced while trying to provide medical care for his mother.
He argued that although his mother had been healthy before Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, the increasing cost of medication subsequently made it difficult to obtain the drugs she needed.
Amaechi insisted that the situation was not peculiar to his family, claiming that several Nigerians were experiencing similar difficulties in accessing essential medicines because of the country’s economic conditions.
“Because policies are killing people. I’ve lost my mother,” he said.
He further questioned why his mother could not live beyond the age of 89, comparing her situation with that of some of his friends whose parents lived into their nineties.
“You want me to mention my friends who are 90 or 92 years old? Why do you think my mother couldn’t live up to 92? Tinubu was the reason. Before Tinubu, my mother was healthy,” Amaechi said.
The ADC chieftain also explained that the cost of medication had become a major challenge after the current administration introduced its economic reforms.
“Before Tinubu, my mother was healthy. Suddenly, by the time Tinubu came, it was difficult to buy drugs for my mother. I know most of you won’t believe this,” he added.
Amaechi also questioned the country’s dependence on imported pharmaceutical products, arguing that the situation had exposed Nigerians to the effects of rising foreign exchange costs and increasing prices of essential medicines.
He maintained that government policies should improve the living conditions of citizens rather than make basic healthcare increasingly difficult to afford.
The comments caused reactions from politicians, particularly the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who criticised Amaechi for bringing his mother’s death into political discussions.
Wike reacted on Saturday, October 3, while addressing members of the Uzugbani Ekpeye National Executive Council and other stakeholders in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The FCT minister questioned Amaechi’s explanation, pointing to the various public offices he had occupied over the years.
He recalled that the former governor served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly for eight years, governor for another eight years and Minister of Transportation for eight years.
Wike argued that Amaechi should not attribute his inability to provide medication for his mother to the policies of the Tinubu administration.
He also accused the former governor of attempting to use the issue to attract public sympathy ahead of the 2027 general election.
“I think we should respect the dead, but anybody who watched television last night will cry when somebody is bringing his own mother to play politics. He had a mother that we thought should be resting peacefully,” Wike said.
The FCT minister further questioned Amaechi’s explanation about the cost of medication, insisting that his previous positions in government should be considered when discussing his ability to provide for his family.
