A political session at the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, turned heated as African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore and African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi clashed over fuel subsidy, governance and their records in public office.
Sowore criticised successive governments for removing fuel subsidy, arguing that ordinary Nigerians have continued to bear the consequences while political elites and state governments benefit.
He said politicians who had previously held public office and failed Nigerians should not be returning to seek power.
“I love one thing that Amaechi said, he said, apart from Sowore and Adebayo, the rest of us have been in government and we have failed, they have no business coming back, you guys should be apologising to the Nigerian people".
He then challenged Amaechi over his record as Rivers State governor and former Minister of Transportation, linking transportation policy to the fuel subsidy debate.
“When it comes to subsidy, transportation policy is important, we have a former governor of Rivers State here, Amaechi, who built a rail line that went nowhere".
Amaechi, however, rejected the criticism and defended his record in office, citing roads, schools and major railway projects executed during his tenure as governor and Transportation Minister.
He challenged Rivers lawyers at the conference to take Sowore around the state to see projects he claimed to have delivered.
“Where are Rivers lawyers? Please, take Sowore around. I said I built that road, I built this road, I built this primary school, I built that primary school,” Amaechi said.
The former governor also cited the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna railway projects.
The exchange became more heated when Amaechi told Sowore: “When politicians are talking, close your mouth.”
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