By Adesakin Adefemi
Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has warned that the African Democratic Congress, ADC, will lose the 2027 presidential election if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerges as its candidate.
Amaechi made the statement during an interview on Trust TV on Monday night, where he also confirmed his own aspiration to fly the ADC’s flag in the upcoming election. The former Rivers State governor said electability, not just primary wins, should guide the party’s choice.
“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 argued that while Atiku had consistently secured party tickets, he had repeatedly failed to win at the general election level.
“The issue is that at all times that you have passed primary, you have not won an election. So, it’s about electability,” he added. The former minister said the ADC must focus on presenting a candidate who can defeat the ruling party in 2027.
“Can I win the election if you put me before the country vis-à-vis him? Will he be able to win the election? The answer is no because he ran under the PDP and lost. That’s an elementary analysis,” Amaechi stated.
He positioned himself as a fresh option for voters, noting that he had never contested a presidential election before. “I’ve never run. If nothing else, I can argue that I’ve never run any presidential election,” he said.
Despite his criticism of Atiku’s chances, Amaechi praised both the former vice president and ex-Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, saying they would govern better than President Bola Tinubu.
“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,” he said.
Amaechi also accused Tinubu of promoting ethnic considerations in governance, contrasting it with what he described as the nationalistic approach of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. His remarks signal an early battle for influence within the ADC ahead of its 2027 primaries.
