By Adesakin Adefemi
Former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi says his political camp has standing orders not to abuse opponents online, warning that bitter exchanges between supporters of Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar could hand President Bola Tinubu an easy victory in 2027.
Speaking at an African Democratic Congress town hall in Lagos on Friday, Amaechi said his supporters do not engage in social media fights. “My supporters don’t engage in fights on social media. My people don’t fight. Have you seen any Amaechi person fighting on social media? It is between Atiku people and Obi people — and Obi people abusing me. We will never reply,” he told the audience.
The former Rivers State governor stressed that the restraint was deliberate, not a sign of weakness. “It’s not because we don’t know English or we can’t reply. The reason why we don’t reply is that we always want peace,” he said, adding that his team was instructed not to attack anyone, including the President. “Don’t abuse the President. Show the facts,” he added.
Amaechi questioned whether rival camps had the electoral strength to justify their hardline positions. “The Obidients insist ‘Obi or nothing’, do they have the numbers? The Atiku people say ‘Atiku or nothing’, do they have the numbers?” he asked, warning that such divisiveness would make it difficult for the opposition to unite and defeat Tinubu.
He urged all opposition supporters to focus on the common goal. “If you cause this kind of friction, it will be difficult to come together to defeat Tinubu. Focus on defeating Tinubu,” Amaechi said, noting that primaries should decide candidates without destroying post-primary unity.
The former minister invited Nigerians to compare his record with that of Labour Party’s Peter Obi and PDP’s Atiku Abubakar. “When I came out here, what did I tell you? I said, compare me to Peter Obi. We were governors at the same time. If he’s a better governor, please choose him,” he said. He extended the same challenge regarding Atiku’s tenure as vice president versus his own roles as governor and minister.
Amaechi expressed confidence in his track record, citing his hands-on supervision of rail projects. “As minister, from Ibadan, to make sure the job was completed on time, I wasn’t sitting in my office writing memos. I made sure that once or twice a month I was on that track. When we were building the Kaduna-Kano line, the same,” he said.
Describing himself as accessible, Amaechi said he still eats in regular restaurants rather than elite spots. “I eat in the same restaurant as you eat. I don’t go to all these big men’s restaurants because they don’t give me the kind of food I ate when I was growing up,” he told the crowd.
However, he cautioned that his ability to work with other camps was not guaranteed if attacks persisted. “No matter how much of a presidential aspirant I am, I am also influenced by my supporters. If my supporters say, the way the Obidients abuse us, we will not work with them, that may happen,” he warned.
Amaechi closed by urging discipline during the primaries and unity afterward. “On the day of the primary, go and vote for your candidate. When your candidate wins, call a meeting and bring everybody together,” he said, positioning himself as a consensus builder who can bridge divides if the online hostility stops.
