“I am in the presidential race for the ticket,” former Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi insisted yesterday.
According to him, suggestions that he should step down for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are uncalled for.
Amaechi, Atiku and businessman Hayatudeen Muhammed picked up nomination forms for the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The race narrowed to the three of them following the withdrawal of other hopefuls – Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso – from the party.
Amaechi, a former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and ex-Minister of Transportation, said in an interview: “There is nothing like consensus for now. The party leaders have not had any meeting on that. Everybody is preparing for the primary election.”
Amaechi also firmly ruled out accepting a vice-presidential slot under any arrangement within the opposition coalition.
“Please stop that. I did not buy a form to be Vice President,” he said.
Amaechi argued that Nigeria’s current economic and governance challenges require experienced but energetic leadership, noting that many leading political figures are already advanced in age.
According to him, his experience as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Minister of Transportation has equipped him with the administrative capacity needed to govern the country.
On zoning and national inclusion, he argued that Nigeria’s political realities still make power rotation necessary, while stressing the need for every region to feel a sense of belonging within the federation.
“If they have to be in Nigeria, then they must have a sense of belonging,” he said while addressing grievances in the Southeast.
Atiku, who is contesting the ticket alongside him, has criticised the zoning of the presidency as unnecessary.
He said competence, rather than where a candidate comes from, should be paramount.
Amaechi also dismissed suggestions that the ADC had been weakened by the exit of some opposition figures, insisting the party remained a viable platform capable of challenging the APC in the next election cycle.
“If ADC was not strong, the government would not be focusing attention on it,” he said.
On governance, Amaechi accused the current administration of weakening institutions and eroding the independence of elected officials, particularly governors.
He said: “For the first time, I’m criticising governors. In our time, governors had independence. Now, they are all scared.”
He alleged that federal institutions were being used to frustrate opposition politicians and parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The president wakes up in the morning, and he’s worried about ADC. He’s fighting ADC, arresting ADC members,” Amaechi alleged.
The former minister, however, said he still held President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in high regard despite his disagreements with the direction of governance under the current administration.
“I have high regard for President Tinubu, but I do not agree with the way the country is being governed,” he stated.
Amaechi maintained that he had no regrets over his role in the formation of the APC in 2013, insisting that the party at the time emerged in response to prevailing governance concerns.
He, however, expressed confidence that disagreements within the opposition coalition would eventually be resolved once parties conclude their primary processes and candidates emerge ahead of the 2027 elections.
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