Nobel Laureate and literary icon Professor Wole Soyinka has showered praise on former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, for standing firm during the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries, refusing to step down for President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking at Amaechi’s 60th birthday celebration in Abuja over the weekend, Soyinka described the former Minister of Transportation as a “fighter” whose defiant stance during the primaries represented a true spirit of democracy.
“The main reason why I had to be here is… I admire Rotimi’s fighting spirit, and it’s a very consistent one,” Soyinka said.
He recalled watching the APC primaries live from Abu Dhabi, emphasizing the satisfaction he felt seeing Amaechi hold his ground while other contenders withdrew in support of Tinubu.
“It gave me great, most malicious pleasure, rascally if you like, to see the incumbent president being given a dose of his own medicine,” Soyinka stated.
Drawing a historical comparison, Soyinka recalled how Tinubu himself resisted former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s alleged third-term bid, standing alone among governors as allocations to Lagos were withheld. According to him, Amaechi’s resistance echoed that same spirit of courage and defiance.
“All the others had cowed down… One man was the last man standing [then]—Tinubu. Well, during the primaries, he got a dose of his own medicine from Amaechi. And I enjoyed that very much.”
Despite coming second in the primaries, Amaechi refused to back down, making a bold statement that he did not come “all the way to concede,” a move Soyinka said embodied the essence of democracy.
Now seen as a key figure in the opposition, Amaechi is reportedly part of a growing coalition—including Atiku Abubakar and Nasir El-Rufai—that seeks to challenge Tinubu’s government ahead of the 2027 elections.
Soyinka’s remarks, laced with wit and political insight, have added a powerful voice to the emerging discourse around Amaechi’s relevance, Tinubu’s legacy, and the future of Nigeria’s democracy.
