AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has claimed that his struggle for democracy paved the way for former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to rise to power.
Reflecting on their heated exchange at the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt, Sowore said Amaechi was among the politicians who benefited from the democratic environment created by activists like him.
Sowore said, “If I didn’t fight for democracy, Rotimi Amaechi would not be standing there yesterday if we were still under military rule,” arguing that his years of activism should count as leadership experience even though he had never held public office.
He also criticised Amaechi’s record as Rivers governor and Transportation Minister, particularly the railway projects executed during his tenure.
Sowore further maintained that he had warned against petrol subsidy removal, insisting that some of the ideas now being adopted by government were issues his movement had advocated for years.
The clash between both politicians became heated at the NBA conference after Amaechi told Sowore, “When politicians are talking, close your mouth.”
Sowore, however, said the confrontation had not changed his views on governance, subsidy removal or the need for better leadership in Nigeria.
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