Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed that former President Muhammadu Buhari assured him of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket ahead of the party’s 2022 primary and advised him against campaigning for the position.
Amaechi, who is now the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, said he lost the ticket to President Bola Tinubu because he relied on Buhari’s promise instead of lobbying delegates and securing the support of influential party members.
He made the revelation on Friday during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room programme in Lagos, where he reflected on the APC presidential primary that produced Tinubu as the party’s candidate for the 2023 general election.
According to Amaechi, Buhari promised to publicly announce him as his preferred candidate and instructed him not to campaign. He added that the former president also gave him the assurance in writing.
“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.
The former Rivers State governor admitted that his reluctance to negotiate political arrangements with governors and other influential APC members also affected his chances.
He said he could have offered key political positions, including the vice-presidency and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), to secure the backing of powerful party stakeholders.
Amaechi argued that his refusal to engage in such negotiations gave Tinubu an advantage in building alliances and winning the support of governors ahead of the primary.
He also accused Tinubu of using religious sentiments to mobilise delegates, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
Amaechi alleged that a delegation of Southern Yoruba Muslims approached governors in the North-West, appealing to them to support Tinubu on religious grounds.
He cited former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, whom he said initially supported his presidential ambition but later backed Tinubu.
“El-Rufai was my supporter. El-Rufai, in a viral video, said this is done for the faith,” he said.
However, Amaechi maintained that he would not exploit religious sentiments to advance his political ambition, warning that doing so could deepen divisions in the country.
He said mobilising voters along religious lines could create tension and threaten national unity, describing his position as a demonstration of his nationalist convictions.
“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.
The ADC chieftain also questioned the perception of Tinubu as a highly strategic politician, asking why he had not become president earlier if his political success was primarily driven by his ability to build alliances and manoeuvre politically.
Tinubu defeated Amaechi and other aspirants at the APC presidential primary held in Abuja in June 2022, polling 1,271 votes against Amaechi’s 316.
The victory secured Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s candidate for the 2023 presidential election, which he subsequently won.
Amaechi served as Minister of Transportation under Buhari and was a key figure in the former president’s successful 2015 presidential campaign.
He is now the running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the ADC ticket ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
