THIS DAWN — Two prominent members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), former Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and former President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide, Ms. Lauretta Onochie, have launched blistering criticisms against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Amaechi and Onochie accused him of nepotism, cronyism, and running a government that excludes even his own ethnic base.
Their remarks, which surfaced on social media weekend, mark one of the strongest internal attacks yet on the Tinubu administration from senior APC figures.
Rotimi Amaechi drops first salvo
In a widely circulated video, Amaechi challenged claims that Tinubu’s leadership primarily favours the Yoruba ethnic group.
He insisted instead that the administration is structured to benefit only an elite inner circle.
Amaechi said in a video: “Those who are accusing Tinubu of being nepotistic aren’t being fair to him. He’s not nepotistic.
“Yoruba aren’t enjoying this government; only very few individuals are enjoying it,” Amaechi said with a tone of sarcasm.
His statement appeared to criticize what he described as a highly selective distribution of power and influence within the government.
He suggested that key appointments and privileges are concentrated among a narrow group of politically connected individuals.
Onochie draws second blood
Shortly after the video spread, Lauretta Onochie—former chairperson of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board—added fuel to the controversy with a scathing post on X (formerly Twitter), using her handle @Laurestar.
Onochie posted: “I have been saying this. It’s not a government of the Yorubas. The Yorubas are excluded too.
“It’s for Bourdillon Affiliates,” she wrote, referencing Tinubu’s well-known Lagos political base.
She wrote further: “It’s not an APC government. It’s Renewed Hope Bourdillon (RHB).
“Again, you must have a criminal record or be criminally minded to qualify to serve in this government.”
Onochie’s comments, far more direct than Amaechi’s, accuse the administration of rewarding individuals with questionable backgrounds.
Meanwhile, she noted, Tinubu sidelines even loyal APC members who do not belong to his inner circle.
The presidency has not yet issued a response, but the remarks are already intensifying divisions within the ruling party.
it could be recalled that Onochie, in a viral video, had vowed that “Tinubu is gone and will not return in 2027“.
Concerns about exclusion, concentration of power, and internal marginalisation have been simmering.
Political observers warn that such high-profile criticisms from within the APC could deepen factional tensions ahead of future national political contests.
Party insiders are increasingly voicing dissatisfaction with the direction the Tinubu’s government is heading.
