Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Rotimi Amaechi, has said his greatest regret ahead of the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary was believing an alleged promise by the late President Muhammadu Buhari that he would be announced as the party’s preferred candidate.
Amaechi disclosed that Buhari had instructed him not to campaign, assuring him that he would publicly declare his support for his presidential ambition. He claimed the assurance was also communicated to him in writing.
The former Minister of Transportation made the revelation during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room programme in Lagos, where he reflected on his defeat at the APC presidential primary in June 2022.
According to Amaechi, his decision to rely on Buhari’s alleged endorsement prevented him from actively lobbying delegates and negotiating political alliances with governors and other influential party stakeholders.
“The first mistake that I made at that primary was that I listened to President Buhari. He said to me, ‘Don’t campaign. Don’t do anything. I will announce you as my candidate.’
“He told me that. He put it in writing. When I write my book, I’ll put it out,” Amaechi said.
He explained that he trusted Buhari’s assurance because the late president was his boss and believed that an endorsement from him would significantly strengthen his chances of securing the party’s ticket.
Amaechi admitted that he could have negotiated with governors and other influential party figures by offering strategic positions in a proposed administration, including the vice-presidency and the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
He argued that his failure to engage in such negotiations gave President Bola Tinubu an opportunity to build stronger alliances ahead of the primary.
“Now, I didn’t do deals. So I would have promised you vice-president, promised you SGF, and then would have gone for this primary, I would have possibly won. I would have had governors on my side.
“Because I didn’t do deals, Tinubu had the chance to do deals,” he said.
The former governor also alleged that religious considerations played a role in the contest, claiming that supporters of Tinubu mobilised political backing among northern delegates through appeals to shared religious identity.
He alleged that a delegation of Yoruba Muslims from the South-West approached governors in the North-West and urged them to support Tinubu on religious grounds.
Amaechi also mentioned former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, whom he said had initially supported his presidential ambition but later shifted allegiance to Tinubu.
“El-Rufai was my supporter. El-Rufai, in a viral video, said this is done for the faith,” he recalled.
Despite his allegations, Amaechi maintained that he would not deploy religion as a tool for political mobilisation, arguing that doing so could deepen divisions and threaten national unity.
He cited Nigeria’s Catholic population as an example, saying he would not ask church leaders to direct members to vote for him simply because they shared the same faith.
“I wouldn’t want to run that kind of federation. Catholics are 35 million in Nigeria. I wouldn’t want to go to the Catholic Church and say, please announce me. Tell them that all Catholics must go out and vote Amaechi.
“It will cause confusion. It will cause problems in the country. That makes me a nationalist,” he said.
At the APC presidential primary held at Eagle Square, Abuja, in June 2022, Tinubu secured the party’s ticket with 1,271 votes, while Amaechi finished second with 316 votes. Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo came third with 235 votes.
Amaechi, who served as Transportation Minister under Buhari, is now the running mate to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on the ADC ticket for the 2027 presidential election.