When Hon. Engr. Akarachi Amadi, famously nicknamed “E dey play e dey show”, secured his seat in the House of Representatives for Mbaitoli and Ikeduru, he did so with an air of assurance that he would be a different kind of leader. Among his many promises were grandiose commitments to his media aides, the very individuals who worked relentlessly to shape his public image during his campaign.
From the outset, Akarachi painted himself as a progressive leader with a vision for empowerment. He assured his media aides that he didn’t see politics as a career but rather as a platform to build partnerships and foster growth. With this, he pledged to elevate their personal lives and businesses, vowing that their loyalty and hard work would be rewarded in spectacular fashion.
The promises were just too good to be true. We rarely saw politicians pledging to uplift the lives of those who worked for them.
Among the promises he made were:
A car for one aide who had selflessly used his aging vehicle as an Uber to generate income while working on the campaign.
Cash payouts of running into millions of naira for his aides to boost their businesses.
A guarantee to make millionaires out of them within a year.
Jobs.
Contracts.
His words were delivered with such conviction that his aides became his loudest advocates, spreading his promises far and wide. They filled our ears with tales of their principal’s generosity and progressive mindset, leaving no room for doubt. Yet, most of us on the sidelines remained skeptical. After all, we’d seen this movie before—politicians who promise the world only to deliver disappointment.
Nearly two years have passed, and the grand promises of wealth and empowerment remain unfulfilled. The car, the cash, and the millionaire status have not materialized, leaving his aides disillusioned and silent where once they were vocal.
Their silence has become deafening. What happened to their excitement? Have they experienced another the-more-you-look-the-less-you-see? Was it all another promise-and-fail?
For me, warning signs started when he filled his Abuja office with people from other constituencies ignoring his media aides. That was when I started suspecting that their promises have entered voicemail.
Side talks suggest that Akarachi has hinted at fulfilling these promises this December, with claims that he plans to address his aides’ grievances upon his return. But the long delay has already dampened the excitement and raised questions about his sincerity.
The aides who once championed him now face the uncomfortable reality that they may have been swept up in political rhetoric. Their businesses remain stagnant, their dreams deferred, and their trust in their principal hanging by a thread.
Akarachi Amadi entered office with so much promise, positioning himself as a refreshing departure from the status quo. His rhetoric suggested he would break away from the empty promises and failed governance that had plagued his predecessors. Yet, his inability to fulfill these specific commitments to his media aides raises doubts about whether he truly represents change or is merely another politician playing the same game.
The grand declaration that he would make millionaires out of his aides within a year now feels like a distant echo, a line that was perhaps too ambitious to begin with. For many, this December represents the last opportunity for him to salvage his reputation among those who once believed in him so fervently.
This December, all eyes are on Hon. Akarachi Amadi. Will he fulfill his promises and restore faith in his leadership, or will his pledges go down as yet another chapter in the long history of political overpromises and underdeliveries?
For his media aides—and for those who have been observing from the sidelines—this month will reveal whether Akarachi is truly a man of his word or just another politician in a long line of disappointments. One thing is certain: this will indeed be a December to remember, for better or for worse.
Ude writes from Owrrri.
