“I am in the presidential race for the ticket,” former Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi insisted yesterday.
According to him, suggestions that he should step down for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are uncalled for.
Amaechi, Atiku and businessman Hayatudeen Muhammed picked up nomination forms for the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The race narrowed to the three of them following the withdrawal of other hopefuls – Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso – from the party.
Amaechi, a former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and ex-Minister of Transportation, said in an interview: “There is nothing like consensus for now. The party leaders have not had any meeting on that. Everybody is preparing for the primary election.”
Amaechi also firmly ruled out accepting a vice-presidential slot under any arrangement within the opposition coalition.
“Please stop that. I did not buy a form to be Vice President,” he said.
Amaechi argued that Nigeria’s current economic and governance challenges require experienced but energetic leadership, noting that many leading political figures are already advanced in age.
According to him, his experience as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Minister of Transportation has equipped him with the administrative capacity needed to govern the country.
On zoning and national inclusion, he argued that Nigeria’s political realities still make power rotation necessary, while stressing the need for every region to feel a sense of belonging within the federation.
“If they have to be in Nigeria, then they must have a sense of belonging,” he said while addressing grievances in the Southeast.
Atiku, who is contesting the ticket alongside him, has criticised the zoning of the presidency as unnecessary.
He said competence, rather than where a candidate comes from, should be paramount.
Amaechi also dismissed suggestions that the ADC had been weakened by the exit of some opposition figures, insisting the party remained a viable platform capable of challenging the APC in the next election cycle.
“If ADC was not strong, the government would not be focusing attention on it,” he said.
On governance, Amaechi accused the current administration of weakening institutions and eroding the independence of elected officials, particularly governors.
He said: “For the first time, I’m criticising governors. In our time, governors had independence. Now, they are all scared.”
He alleged that federal institutions were being used to frustrate opposition politicians and parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The president wakes up in the morning and he’s worried about ADC. He’s fighting ADC, arresting ADC members,” Amaechi alleged.
The former minister, however, said he still held President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in high regard despite his disagreements with the direction of governance under the current administration.
“I have high regard for President Tinubu, but I do not agree with the way the country is being governed,” he stated.
Amaechi maintained that he had no regrets over his role in the formation of the APC in 2013, insisting that the party at the time emerged in response to prevailing governance concerns.
He, however, expressed confidence that disagreements within the opposition coalition would eventually be resolved once parties conclude their primary processes and candidates emerge ahead of the 2027 elections.
Obi appears before NDC panel
Obi yesterday appeared before the presidential screening panel of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Abuja ahead of the 2027 general election.
Obi, who is the sole aspirant for the party’s presidential ticket, arrived at the party’s national headquarters around 6:45 p.m. wearing his trademark black kaftan and cap.
Accompanied by Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), Obi submitted his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms through an aide.
He arrived shortly after the chairman of the screening committee, Senator Sam Egwu.
Speculation about Obi being the sole aspirant intensified following the decision of the NDC to suspend the sale of presidential nomination forms after he collected his form and extended the deadline for the purchase of forms for other elective positions.
However, both the Obi camp and the leadership of the party have repeatedly denied the existence of any consensus arrangement.
The party constituted a 17-member screening committee headed by Sam Egwu, while Reuben Egwuaba will serve as secretary.
Other members of the panel are Comrade Babatunde Ali as deputy chairman, Buba Galadima, Mohammed Sani Takori, Daniel Onifade, Ikeddy Isiguzo, Wole Adedayo, Dr. Osusu Osusu, Chief Asukewe Ikoawaji, Prof. Udenta Udenta, Frederick Owotorufa, Hannatu Tanko, Dogo Shammar, Henry Obaze, Clement Agiagie and Fatima Musa Abba.
The party said the committee would oversee the screening of aspirants seeking to contest elective offices on the platform of the NDC, including the presidency, governorships and seats in the National Assembly.
Prepare for ‘political war’, NDC chairman warns
National Chairman of the NDC, Senator Moses Cleopas, predicted a “political war not meant for unprepared minds” as preparations for the general elections continue.
Cleopas spoke yesterday in Yenagoa while receiving defectors from the Bayelsa PDP, including former governorship aspirant Reuben Okoya, Diepreye Leghemo, and women mobiliser Esther Saiyo.
Describing the NDC as the Biblical Noah’s Ark for Nigerians seeking good governance, Cleopas predicted a political battle that is not meant for unprepared minds, adding that the party’s founder was a man who would not venture into unproductive political investments.
He charged the defectors to first believe in the ideology of the founder of the party, which is anchored on service to the people, before thinking about their political ambitions.
He said: “Don’t be afraid. Political power is not given but contested. Until they see the power element in you, they won’t give it to you. You must be ready and convinced in your mind that you can take over.
“Senator Seriake Dickson does not invest in a fight he won’t win. He has invested all his political capital in the NDC, and he cannot afford to fail.”
He described Reuben Okoya as decent, focused, intelligent, incorruptible and willing to serve, pointing out that the lifestyle of the former coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) represents what the NDC stands for.
Okoya, a native of Yenagoa Local Government Area, said that after resigning from the PDP, he decided to pitch his political tent with the NDC after considering other parties, emphasising that the NDC shares the same political ideology as his, with service to the people as its focal point.
He said he had spent many years serving Bayelsa and Nigeria and would not tire of doing so as long as he lived.
Leghemo said he would join resources with other party members to make the NDC politically formidable ahead of the 2027 elections.
