Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has dismissed allegations that opposition figures once appealed to American officials to help unseat former President Goodluck Jonathan by citing claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria.

Speaking at the National Conference of Editors in Abuja on Thursday, Amaechi—who later served as a key figure in the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari—said the meeting in question was strictly about ensuring a peaceful and credible election.

“No Such Meeting Ever Happened”

“There have been talks about some clandestine meetings in America. No, there was no meeting in America like that,” Amaechi said.

According to him, only one meeting took place, and it was at the invitation of American officials.

“The discussion was simple. The Americans said, ‘We don’t want violence in this election,’ and asked whether we could guarantee that. That was all,” he stated.

Amaechi Criticises Journalists’ Silence in Democracy

The former governor also took a swipe at Nigerian journalists, arguing that they are not confronting bad governance with the same intensity they displayed during the military era.

“I have friends who are editors,” he said. “These were the same people who fought with us during the military era. What has changed? Journalists are no longer fighting.”

Amaechi attributed this shift partly to material incentives and partly to ethnic loyalties.

“The pot is now bigger, and everybody is enjoying it. Under the military, the pot was smaller. Ethnicity has also entered politics and journalism. No journalist wants to write against his brother,” he added.

“Nigerians Don’t Hate Bad Government”

Amaechi argued that citizens often tolerate bad governance as long as the leader aligns with their ethnic or regional identity.

“Nigerians don’t hate bad government. They only hate a bad president who comes from another part of the country. If he’s from their area, he’s suddenly a wonderful man,” he said.

He maintained that citizens must be willing to vote out incompetent leaders regardless of ethnic or regional considerations.

On Insecurity and Poverty

Amaechi linked Nigeria’s insecurity crisis to widespread poverty and lack of economic opportunity.

“If you deny people legitimate means of livelihood, they will find illegitimate means. That’s why Nigeria is like this,” he said.

He added that true national unity would only emerge when Nigerians can live and thrive in any part of the country without discrimination.
“That’s when we become a country—when I can survive in Lagos and you can survive in Port Harcourt,” Amaechi noted.

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Onoh Warns Against Gumi’s “Justification” of Violent Groups

In a related development, Dr. Josef Onoh, former presidential campaign spokesman, warned that Sheikh Ahmad Gumi’s repeated public comments defending violent groups could draw international scrutiny.

Onoh urged the United States and its allies to consider placing Gumi on a terrorist watch list.

“Gumi fits the global profile of radical sympathisers. He has become, in my view, a financier of fear and a mouthpiece for those who kill innocent people,” Onoh said.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to prevent any individual—no matter how influential—from destabilising national security or spreading harmful narratives.

Onoh insisted that voices like Gumi’s are undermining the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and fueling ethnic and religious divisions for personal gain.