Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has expressed confidence in securing the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general election, declaring that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar may no longer be electorally viable.
Amaechi made the remarks during an interview on Trust TV on Monday night, where he argued that despite Atiku’s record of winning party primaries, he had repeatedly failed to translate those victories into success at the presidential polls.
“I listened when the former vice president said he never failed a primary before. I hope this will be the first time he will fail a primary,” Amaechi said.
He added, “The issue is that at all times that you have passed primary, you have not won an election. So it’s about electability.”
The former governor maintained that his candidacy would offer Nigerians a fresh alternative because he had never contested for the presidency before.
“I’ve never run. If nothing else, I can argue that I’ve never run any presidential election,” he stated.
Amaechi, however, spoke favourably about Atiku and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying both men would govern Nigeria better than President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if elected.
“If you give this country to Vice President Atiku to govern, I believe he would do well. Just as I think Governor Obi would do well. Honestly, both of them would do better than President Tinubu,” he said.
The former minister also accused Tinubu of promoting ethnic considerations in governance, describing the President as “tribalistic.”
He contrasted Tinubu’s leadership style with that of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom he described as a nationalist.
“He’s a Nigerian president. He’s not a Yoruba president,” Amaechi said of Obasanjo.
Speaking on zoning, Amaechi said he supported the arrangement because Nigeria was still struggling with national unity and inclusiveness.
“The answer is yes and no. Yes in the sense that the country, for now, is yet to be found as a united entity,” he stated.
He further stressed the need for every region and minority group in the country to have a sense of belonging, particularly in the South-East.
“If they have to be in Nigeria, then they must be part of Nigeria. They must have a sense of belonging that they are Nigerians,” he said.
Amaechi added that his governance vision would focus on national integration, education and equal opportunities across all regions of the country.
According to him, priorities would include improving educational infrastructure in northern Nigeria and addressing grievances in the South-East.
His comments come ahead of the ADC presidential primary scheduled for May 25, 2026, as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.
Other notable aspirants seeking the party’s ticket include Atiku and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, while the party leadership has maintained that it has no preferred candidate and may still consider a consensus arrangement before the primary.
