‘Tinubu’s Policies K¡lled My 89-year-old Mother’

African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, stirred controversy on Friday after jokingly linking the death of his mother to President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies.

Amaechi made the remark during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, after the presenter asked him directly whether Tinubu’s policies were responsible for his mother’s death.

“Is it Tinubu’s policy that killed your mother?” the presenter asked.

Amaechi responded: “Of course, before Tinubu, my mother was healthy.”

He later made clear that the remark was a joke rather than a literal claim about the cause of his mother’s death.

The exchange came as Amaechi criticised the economic conditions facing Nigerians and argued that the effects of government policies were being felt across households.

When the presenter challenged him over his own responsibility for his mother’s welfare, Amaechi pushed back, saying he was responsible for supporting several people.

“Do I have a choice? Do you know how many people I’m taking care of?” he said.

Amaechi’s mother, Mary Amaechi, died in July 2026 at the age of 89 and was later buried in Ubima, Rivers State.

The former Rivers State governor has intensified his criticism of the Tinubu administration as political activity gathers momentum ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

During the same round of public engagements, Amaechi has argued that economic hardship remains a major issue for voters and has criticised the effects of higher fuel and living costs on ordinary Nigerians.

Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, is running alongside ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 election.

He has also repeatedly drawn on his years in public office while presenting himself as experienced in both state and federal government, having served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, governor and federal minister.