Former Minister of Transportation and former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has expressed confidence in securing the African Democratic Congress presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 election, saying former Vice President Atiku Abubakar may no longer be electorally viable.
Amaechi made the remarks during an interview aired on Trust TV on Monday, May 18, 2026.
He said although Atiku had consistently won party primaries in the past, he had failed to convert those victories into success at the presidential polls.
“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 a primary,” Amaechi said.
He added, “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 candidacy would offer Nigerians a fresh alternative because he had never previously contested a presidential election.
“I’ve never run. If nothing else, I can argue that I’ve never run any presidential election,” he said.
Despite his criticism, the former minister praised both Atiku and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying they 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,” Amaechi stated.
He also accused Tinubu of promoting ethnic considerations in governance, describing the President as “tribalistic,” while praising former President Olusegun Obasanjo as “a huge nationalist.”
“He’s a Nigerian president. He’s not a Yoruba president,” Amaechi said of Obasanjo.
On zoning, Amaechi said he supported the arrangement because Nigeria was still grappling with national unity challenges.
“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.
The former Rivers governor also spoke on insecurity and grievances in the South-East, warning against marginalisation of the region.
“If they have to be in Nigeria, then they must be part of Nigeria. They must have a sense of belonging that they are Nigerians,” he said.
Amaechi added that his governance vision would focus on national integration, education and equal opportunities across all regions, including improving educational infrastructure in northern Nigeria and addressing concerns in the South-East.
His comments come as the African Democratic Congress prepares for its presidential primary scheduled for May 25, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general election.
Other aspirants in the race include Atiku and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, with the party maintaining that it has no preferred candidate and may adopt a consensus arrangement before the primary.
