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Firdaus Obiremi
Former Minister of Transport and African Democratic Congress (ADC) Vice Presidential Candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has accused President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of taking credit for the construction of the Lekki Deep Seaport, insisting that he oversaw the project from inception to completion.
Amaechi said he could not join hands with former President Muhammadu Buhari in commissioning the facility because he had resigned from government to pursue his presidential ambition in 2022.
The former Rivers State governor made the allegations during a meeting of ADC stakeholders in Edo State on Thursday, where he also pledged to push for the development of the proposed Gelegele seaport in the state if the party wins the 2027 general elections.
According to Amaechi, his role as Minister of Transport under the Buhari administration placed him at the center of the Lekki Deep Seaport project, which he said was completed before his departure from office.
“I built Lekki Deep Seaport from scratch to the end,” he said.
“I finished it completely, but I had resigned to contest for president; that’s why Sanwo-Olu persuaded Buhari to come and commission it.”
Amaechi resigned as transport minister in May 2022 to contest the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which ultimately lost to Tinubu.
Buhari commissioned the Lekki Deep Seaport in January 2023, several months after Amaechi left government.
The ADC vice presidential candidate said Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu subsequently presented themselves as the driving forces behind the project, despite what he described as their lack of involvement from the beginning.
“And during commissioning, Sanwo-Olu and others, including Tinubu, claimed to have built it. None of them visited it from scratch,” Amaechi said.
He, however, distinguished between the origin of the project and its execution, attributing the initial idea to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the approval and construction to the Buhari administration.
“Buhari approved the construction of that seaport, but it was essentially Obasanjo’s idea, even though it was built by Buhari,” he added.
The observations have brought renewed attention to the issue of political credit for large infrastructure projects, which often involve several stages of conception, approval, financing, construction and commissioning under different administrations.
While Amaechi said he oversaw the Lekki project from start to finish, comments reported during the meeting provided no further details on his specific contributions or documentary evidence to independently establish the scope of his role.
Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu had not responded publicly to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
According to Peoples Gazette, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga and Lagos State governor spokesperson Gboyega Akosile did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the claims.
Meanwhile, Amaechi has promised that an ADC-led government will consider the development of Gelegele Seaport in Edo State, portraying the proposed facility as another infrastructure project that could support economic growth and maritime activities.
He said he would submit the proposal to the President for approval if the ADC won the next general elections.
“When the ADC government wins, I, as vice president, will put it on the table for the president to approve,” he said.
The pledge adds infrastructure development to the ADC’s political message ahead of the 2027 elections, with Amaechi seeking to link his experience in the transport sector to investment proposals in the maritime sector.
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