Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has praised former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, for showing political courage by refusing to step down for President Bola Tinubu during the 2022 presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking at Amaechi’s 60th birthday celebration, Soyinka described the former Minister of Transportation’s stance during the primaries as bold and reminiscent of Tinubu’s own defiance during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
“I admire Rotimi Amaechi’s fighting spirit,” Soyinka said. “It’s a very consistent one. What stood out for me was during the APC presidential primary, which I watched live from Abu Dhabi. I wanted to see the drama and I’m glad I did. It gave me great, mischievous pleasure to see the incumbent president being given a dose of his own medicine.”
Soyinka drew parallels between Amaechi’s refusal to back down and Tinubu’s resistance against President Obasanjo’s failed third term bid years ago. He recalled how Tinubu had remained the “last man standing” at the time when others succumbed to pressure.
“Tinubu fought a former president who was trying to change the constitution for a third term. He stood his ground when others gave in due to withheld statutory allocations. But during the APC primaries, he received the same kind of resistance—from Amaechi.”
Soyinka highlighted that while other aspirants were quick to step aside for Tinubu, Amaechi stood firm and insisted on contesting.
“While everybody was falling over themselves conceding, one man stood up and said no. He said, ‘I didn’t come all the way here to commit lúle,’ and that man was Rotimi Amaechi. That’s what democracy is about,” Soyinka said.
At the 2022 APC convention, Tinubu secured 1,271 votes to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate. Amaechi came second with 316 votes, while then Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo polled 235.
