The vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Rotimi Amaechi, has directly linked the death of his mother to the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu, telling Channels Television that before Tinubu took office, “my mother was healthy”. The exchange occurred during an appearance on Politics Today on Friday, October 2, 2026, when host Seun Okinbaloye pressed the former Rivers State governor on a reference he had made to his late mother while discussing the impact of economic hardship on Nigerians.
Okinbaloye questioned whether Amaechi was suggesting that Tinubu’s policies were responsible for his mother’s death. “Is it Tinubu’s policy that killed your mother?” the journalist asked. Amaechi responded without hesitation: “Of course, before Tinubu, my mother was healthy”. The host then challenged Amaechi on personal responsibility, arguing that caring for his mother was his own duty. “It is not your responsibility to take care of your mother and you allow her to die,” Okinbaloye said. Amaechi fired back: “Do I have a choice? Do you know how many people I’m taking care of?”.
The confrontation unfolded during a wider discussion on the state of the nation under Tinubu’s administration. Amaechi accused the government of inflicting “unprecedented hardship” on Nigerians through the removal of fuel and electricity subsidies. “Everybody is suffering, everybody is looking for food to eat. People can’t buy fuel or travel. The airlines are threatening to increase the cost of transportation; everything is skyrocketing,” he said. He also cited a sharp rise in out-of-school children, from 12 million to 20 million under Tinubu, and claimed the number of illiterate Nigerians now stands at 92 million. Amaechi further noted that insecurity has worsened because farmers can no longer access their farms.
In a dramatic escalation, Amaechi offered to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and campaign for Tinubu if petrol prices dropped to ₦600 per litre by the following day. “If fuel comes down to 600 tomorrow, I will campaign for Tinubu,” he declared, inviting cameras to accompany him to a filling station to verify the price. He framed the 2027 election as a “choice between life and death,” asserting that “Tinubu represents the choice of death”. Amaechi also stated that an Atiku Abubakar-led government would reintroduce a production subsidy to bring down the cost of transportation, fuel, and food within one year.
Amaechi’s mother, Dame Ezinne Mary Oduah Amaechi, passed away on July 16, 2026, at the age of 89. President Tinubu had issued a condolence message at the time, describing her as a devoted Catholic whose life was defined by faith and service. Amaechi had previously stated he was not ready to discuss Tinubu’s administration while mourning his mother, saying: “I am mourning my dear mother, my mother brought me up in difficult situations so I need to think about her life”.