According to a report by This Day Live on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has denied claims that he joined the presidential race under the African Democratic Congress in order to later emerge as a vice presidential candidate.
He maintained that he purchased the party’s nomination form strictly to contest for the presidency and had no arrangement to settle for a secondary position.
Amaechi, who also served as governor of Rivers State, made the clarification during an interview on Trust TV.
His comments came amid increasing speculation surrounding possible consensus discussions within the ADC ahead of the party’s presidential primary fixed for May 25, 2026.
Political discussions within the party have intensified in recent weeks as aspirants continue consultations ahead of the exercise.
The former minister reacted strongly to suggestions that he could eventually become the running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on a joint presidential ticket.
Amaechi dismissed the speculation and insisted that his ambition remained focused on securing the ADC presidential ticket for himself rather than supporting another candidate in the race.
According to him, his objective is to emerge as the party’s flag bearer and lead the ADC into the 2027 general election.
He explained that while political parties sometimes adopt consensus arrangements, such decisions should only happen when all aspirants willingly agree to the process.
Amaechi warned against any attempt to impose candidates on party members, stressing that fairness and openness must guide the conduct of the primary.
He further stated that every aspirant seeking the ADC presidential ticket should be given a level playing field ahead of the primary election.
Amaechi noted that political parties weaken themselves whenever internal democratic processes are ignored or manipulated to favour particular individuals.
He maintained that any consensus decision that lacks the agreement of contestants could create unnecessary tension within the party.
Amaechi also expressed confidence about his chances in the contest against Atiku, he argued that although the former vice president had built a strong record of winning presidential primaries across different political parties over the years, those victories had not translated into success during the main presidential elections.
Amaechi suggested that the upcoming ADC primary could produce a different outcome from Atiku’s previous victories in internal party contests.
“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 in primary,” Amaechi stated……See More
Leave a Reply