Showunmi attacks Amachree and defends Chagoury’s investments

…He says the criticisms lack evidence
He warns against controversial narratives

A PDP leader, Segun Showunmi, has slammed the criticism leveled at businessman Gilbert Chagoury, describing it as misleading and divisive.
He insists that debates about multibillion-dollar projects must be based on facts, not feelings

A People’s Democratic Party leader, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has criticized commentator Kio Amachree for what he described as a “misguided and factually weak” attack on businessman Gilbert Chagoury, urging a more evidence-based approach to public discourse on national development.

In a statement on Thursday, Showunmi said Amachree’s claims are full of contradictions, exaggerations and divisive overtones, warning that such narratives could derail constructive engagement on Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges.

The PDP supporter particularly condemned the idea that Chagoury was “less than Nigerian,” describing him as “dangerous and intellectually lazy.”

He argued that Chagoury’s long-standing presence in Nigeria, spanning over five decades, coupled with his investments and contributions to the economy, underlined his legitimacy as a player in the country’s development.

“Gilbert Chagoury is Nigerian by law, by investment and by decades of continuous commitment. He has lived, built, employed and taken risks in Nigeria far longer than many of his critics,” Showunmi said.

He also criticized what he called the oversimplification of complex infrastructure projects, including coastal highways and shoreline protection initiatives, warning against reducing them to what he described as “social media sound bites.”

According to him, large-scale projects involve complex financial structures, engineering expertise and significant execution risks that require informed analysis.

“If there are concerns, they must be supported by verifiable evidence. Where is the violation of the procurement law? What provisions of the law have been violated? Allegations alone are not enough,” he added.

Showunmi also criticized the focus on past controversies surrounding Chagoury, insisting that any charges must be situated within the framework of Nigerian law.

He said: “If the law excludes someone from public procurement, let it be clear. Otherwise, what we are seeing is selective outrage and smearing.”

The PDP chief also took aim at diaspora commentators, stressing that distance from the country does not necessarily translate into a deeper understanding of its socio-economic realities.

He warned against what he described as “xenophobic insinuations masquerading as reformist arguments”, stressing that Nigeria’s challenges were fundamentally institutional rather than based on ethnicity or nationality.

“Nigeria’s real problems are weak procurement enforcement, opaque contracting processes and poor accountability mechanisms. Targeting individuals does not address systemic failures,” he said.

Citing projects such as the Eko Atlantic City development and coastal protection efforts in Victoria Island, Showunmi argued that Chagoury’s contributions to Nigeria’s infrastructure were “visible and measurable.”

He added that while public oversight of government contracts remains necessary, that effort must be rooted in facts and not speculation.

Showunmi also called for greater accountability in public comments, warning that misinformation and defamatory statements could have legal consequences.

“Public discourse must be anchored in truth. Sensationalism without evidence undermines serious national conversations,” he said.

The rebuttal follows a recent critique by Amachree that questions the legitimacy of some large-scale infrastructure deals and the role of private sector actors in their execution.

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