Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has declared that he purchased the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential form to contest for president and not to negotiate for the vice-presidential slot.
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Amaechi made the clarification on Monday during an interview on Trust TV while speaking on the contest for the ADC presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The former Rivers State governor said he was fully in the race for the party’s presidential nomination and dismissed suggestions that he could step down to become running mate to another aspirant.
“Please stop that. I didn’t buy the ADC presidential ticket to become Vice President,” he said.
Amaechi said if the ADC decides to adopt a consensus arrangement, all aspirants must meet and agree on the process. He added that where consensus fails, the party should allow all aspirants to test their popularity at the primaries.
He recalled that he had earlier told former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that the contest should proceed to primaries, especially since Atiku had said he does not believe in zoning.
Speaking further, Amaechi expressed confidence in his chances of clinching the ADC ticket, saying the real issue in the race should be electability.
He said although Atiku had consistently won presidential primaries in the past, he had not been able to convert such victories into success at the general election.
“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 primary,” Amaechi said.
“The issue is that at all times that you have passed primary, you have not won an election. So it’s about electability.”
Amaechi argued that his own candidacy would offer Nigerians a fresh option because he had never contested a presidential election before.
“I’ve never run. If nothing else, I can argue that I’ve never run any presidential election,” he said.
Despite his criticism of Atiku’s electoral record, Amaechi praised both Atiku and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying he believed both men 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. Just as I think Governor Obi would do well. Honestly, both of them would do better than President Tinubu,” he said.
Amaechi also accused President Tinubu of promoting ethnic considerations in governance, while contrasting his approach with that of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom he described as “a huge nationalist.”
On zoning, the former minister said he supports the principle because Nigeria is still struggling with national unity.
“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 said.
Meanwhile, the ADC has appointed former Cross River State governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, and former Kwara State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, to lead its presidential primary committees.
Imoke will chair the Presidential Screening Committee, while Ahmed will chair the Presidential Election Committee.
Members of the Presidential Screening Committee include Hon. C.I.D. Maduabum as Secretary, Alhaji Lawal Batagarawa, Prof. Bode Ayorinde, Hon. Nnena Elendu-Ukeje, Prof. David Salifu, and Col. Abubakar Ali Ciroma.
The Presidential Election Committee has Prof. Yisa Gana as Secretary, alongside Maj.-Gen. Adamu Jalingo, Dr. Auwalu Anwar, Chief Emenike Ikechi, Dr. Macaulay Iyare, Tajudeen Bakare, Elder Ubolo Itodo Okpanachi, Zainab Buba Galadima, Uzoamaka Onyeama, and Maj.-Gen. Muhammad Inuwa Idris as members.
The party also constituted a Presidential Appeals Committee chaired by Dr. Suleiman Usman, SAN, with Barr. Ken Imasuagbon as Secretary and Barr. Dare Okerade as member.
The ADC said the committees were carefully constituted to ensure transparency, credibility, fairness and internal democracy in the conduct of its presidential primary.
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