Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has expressed confidence in his chances of securing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 elections, while questioning the electoral strength of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking during an interview on Trust TV on Monday night, Amaechi argued that although Atiku has repeatedly won party primaries, he has failed to win the presidency in previous election cycles.
“I hope this will be the first time he will fail primary,” he said, adding that electoral success should be judged by “electability.”
Amaechi said his own candidacy would offer voters a fresh option, noting that he has never previously contested a presidential election.
“I’ve never run. If nothing else, I can argue that I’ve never run any presidential election,” he said.
He also acknowledged that both Atiku and former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi would perform better than President Bola Tinubu if elected.
“If you give this country to Vice President Atiku to govern, I believe he would do well… both of them would do better than President Tinubu,” Amaechi stated.
The former governor also criticised Tinubu’s leadership style, alleging ethnic bias in governance, while contrasting it with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom he described as a nationalist.
On national unity, Amaechi said Nigeria must continue to work toward inclusion and fairness across regions, warning against marginalisation of any group.
“If they have to be in Nigeria, then they must be part of Nigeria,” he said.
He added that his governance priorities would focus on national integration, education reform and addressing regional grievances, particularly in the South-East.
The comments come as the ADC prepares for its presidential primary scheduled for May 25, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Other aspirants reportedly include Atiku and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, with the party indicating it may consider a consensus arrangement before the primary.
