Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has praised former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, for showing political courage by refusing to step down for President Bola Tinubu during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries in 2022.
Speaking in Abuja on Saturday at an event marking Amaechi’s 60th birthday, Soyinka described the former Rivers State governor as a man with a consistent fighting spirit, citing his refusal to withdraw from the race as a rare act of defiance in Nigerian politics.
“The main reason I’m here today is because I admire Rotimi Amaechi’s fighting spirit,” Soyinka said.
“It has been consistent over time. What stood out most to me was during the APC primaries, which I watched live from Abu Dhabi.”
Soyinka said he had tuned in specifically to witness the primaries unfold and was struck by Amaechi’s resolve to stay in the contest when others stepped aside.
“It gave me a kind of mischievous pleasure to see the incumbent president receive a dose of his own medicine,” he added, drawing a parallel to President Tinubu’s own resistance during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s attempt to amend the constitution for a third term.
“Tinubu was the last man standing back then, resisting efforts to undermine the constitutional order. But during the APC primaries, it was Amaechi who stood firm while others conceded. That moment truly captured the essence of democracy.”
Soyinka recalled how other political leaders had bowed under pressure in the past, with some even having their statutory allocations cut. Despite the political climate, he said, Amaechi chose not to yield.
“While others were falling in line, one man stood his ground and refused to concede.
He got on the podium and said, ‘I didn’t come all the way here to fail.’ That man was Rotimi Amaechi.”
Soyinka concluded by commending Amaechi’s stance as a display of democratic values and political courage.