The African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has blamed his loss at the 2022 All Progressives Congress presidential primary on his decision to heed the advice of the late President Muhammadu Buhari against campaigning before the election.
Amaechi said Buhari had assured him in writing that he would declare him his preferred presidential candidate, a promise that made him refrain from lobbying delegates and forming strategic alliances with influential party members.
The former Rivers State governor disclosed this during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room programme in Lagos on Friday, while recounting how President Bola Tinubu defeated him to secure the APC presidential ticket in June 2022.
According to Amaechi, he trusted Buhari’s assurance because of their relationship, having served under him as Minister of Transportation.
He said he believed the former president’s endorsement would give him an edge over other contenders.
He said, “The first mistake that I made at that primary was that I listened to President Buhari. He said to me, ‘Don’t campaign. Don’t do anything. I will announce you as my candidate.’
“He told me that. He put it in writing. When I write my book, I’ll put it out.”
Amaechi said his failure to engage in political negotiations with governors and other key party figures further weakened his chances, allowing Tinubu to secure crucial alliances ahead of the primary.
He explained that he could have gained the backing of governors by offering them influential positions, including the vice-presidency and the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“Now, I didn’t do deals. So I would have promised you vice-president, promised you SGF, and then would have gone for this primary, I would have possibly won. I would have had governors on my side.
“Because I didn’t do deals, Tinubu had the chance to do deals,” he said.
The ADC chieftain also accused Tinubu of leveraging religious sentiments to attract delegates’ support, particularly in the northern part of the country.
Amaechi, however, maintained that he would not resort to religious appeals to secure electoral victories, insisting that such an approach contradicted his nationalist ideals.
He alleged that a group of Southern Yoruba Muslims had visited governors in the North-West, urging them to support Tinubu on religious grounds.
Amaechi also referenced former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, whom he said had initially supported his presidential ambition before backing Tinubu.
“El-Rufai was my supporter. El-Rufai, in a viral video, said this is done for the faith,” Amaechi said.
He warned that using religious identity to mobilise political support could fuel divisions and create tension across the country, adding that he would not adopt the strategy even if it improved his chances of winning an election.
“I wouldn’t want to run that kind of federation. Catholics are 35 million in Nigeria. I wouldn’t want to go to the Catholic Church and say, please announce me. Tell them that all Catholics must go out and vote Amaechi.
“It will cause confusion. It will cause problems in the country. That makes me a nationalist,” he said.
Amaechi also challenged the perception of Tinubu as a highly skilled political strategist, questioning why he had not assumed the presidency earlier if his political success was driven by exceptional manoeuvring.
Tinubu defeated Amaechi and other aspirants at the APC presidential primary held at Eagle Square, Abuja, in June 2022, securing 1,271 votes against Amaechi’s 316.
The outcome established Tinubu as the party’s flagbearer for the 2023 presidential election, which he subsequently won.
Amaechi, who served as Transportation Minister under Buhari, was also a prominent ally of the late president and led his successful campaign in the 2015 presidential election.
He is currently the running mate to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on the ADC ticket for the 2027 presidential election.
