Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has come under renewed public scrutiny following his claim that the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration contributed to the death of his mother.
Amaechi made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, saying the rising cost of medicines after 2023 made it difficult for him to afford the drugs his mother needed.
“Before Tinubu came, my mother was healthy. After 2023, it was difficult for me to buy drugs for my mother,” Amaechi said.
He added that he believed the government’s policies contributed to her death.
Amaechi’s mother, Ezinne Mary Amaechi, died on July 16, 2026, at the age of 89, according to a statement from the family. The family described her as a Christian and community leader who devoted herself to her family.
Amaechi’s remarks have prompted social media commentary questioning how a former governor, minister and current 2027 political candidate could say that the cost of medicine had become difficult to meet.
One commentator, identified as “Agba man,” alleged that Amaechi spent heavily on personal and political activities during the Tinubu administration while complaining about the cost of his mother’s medication.
The commentator alleged that Amaechi's 60th birthday celebration in May 2025 cost more than ₦200 million, including an alleged ₦30 million venue fee.
However, the available reporting does not independently establish that the birthday celebration cost ₦200 million or that the venue cost ₦30 million.
A June 2025 column published by TheCable did raise a question about whether the venue for Amaechi’s birthday celebration cost ₦30 million, but it did not establish that figure as a verified payment.
A more readily verifiable expenditure relates to Amaechi’s political ambitions.
In May 2026, Amaechi obtained the African Democratic Congress presidential nomination form, reported to have cost ₦90 million, ahead of the party’s 2027 presidential primary.
Premium Times reported that the ADC confirmed that Amaechi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had obtained the party’s ₦90 million presidential nomination forms.
The expenditure has subsequently become part of online arguments over Amaechi’s financial position and his criticism of the economic situation under the Tinubu administration.
The social media commentary also alleged that Amaechi paid thousands of pounds for his daughter's education and graduation from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.
However, this particular claim could not be independently verified from reliable sources reviewed for this report.
Similarly, an online estimate placing Amaechi’s personal net worth at approximately $750 million has circulated. That figure appears on websites publishing estimated celebrity and political net-worth figures, but no reliable financial disclosure or authoritative source reviewed establishes that Amaechi is worth $750 million.
It would therefore be misleading to present the $750 million figure or the alleged education expenditure as established facts.
Amaechi's central argument was about the broader effect of rising healthcare costs on Nigerians.
He said his mother had been healthy before Tinubu assumed office but that the increasing cost of medicines subsequently made her treatment difficult.
“Because policies are killing people. I’ve lost my mother,” he said.
He also referred to the cost of imported medicines and argued that the country's dependence on imported pharmaceutical products was contributing to higher healthcare costs.
His comments form part of his broader criticism of the Tinubu administration's economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the resulting changes in the cost of living.
Amaechi's mother died several months before he emerged as a major opposition figure in the 2027 political contest.
The former minister is now the ADC vice-presidential candidate, with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party's presidential candidate. His criticism of the Tinubu administration has consequently become part of his campaign messaging.
Amaechi has repeatedly argued that Nigerians are struggling with the cost of living, while the Tinubu administration has defended its reforms as necessary measures to correct structural problems in the economy and ultimately deliver greater prosperity.
President Tinubu said in his October 1 Independence Day address that the government recognised that millions of Nigerians were still struggling with food, transport, healthcare and other living costs, while arguing that the reforms had put the economy on a stronger footing.
The controversy surrounding Amaechi's comments illustrates the difficulty of separating documented facts from political and social-media claims.
There is documented evidence that Amaechi paid or obtained a ₦90 million ADC presidential nomination form, and there is a direct record of his statement that rising medicine costs made it difficult for him to care for his mother.
However, the claims that his birthday celebration cost more than ₦200 million, that he personally paid ₦30 million for the venue, that his daughter's education cost a particular amount, or that he has a personal net worth of $750 million have not been established by the reliable sources reviewed.
His mother’s death is also documented, but Amaechi's assertion that Tinubu's policies contributed to her death remains his own political claim, rather than an independently established medical or legal finding.
The resulting debate therefore centres on two separate questions: Amaechi's criticism of the economic consequences of the Tinubu administration and questions being raised online about the former governor's own financial circumstances and spending.
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