The African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has attributed his defeat in the 2022 All Progressives Congress presidential primary to his decision to heed the advice of former President Muhammadu Buhari not to campaign ahead of the contest.
Amaechi said Buhari had assured him in writing that he would emerge as his preferred candidate, prompting him to refrain from lobbying delegates and negotiating political alliances with influential party members.
He made the disclosure during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room programme in Lagos on Friday, while reflecting on how President Bola Tinubu defeated him to secure the APC presidential ticket in 2022.
According to the former Minister of Transportation, he trusted Buhari’s assurance because the former president was his superior and believed his endorsement would give him an advantage over other presidential aspirants.
“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 identified his refusal to negotiate political positions with governors and other influential party figures as another factor that contributed to his defeat, arguing that it allowed Tinubu to build stronger alliances ahead of the primary.
Amaechi said he could have secured the backing of several governors by offering them strategic political positions, including the vice-presidency and the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“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 Rivers State governor also accused Tinubu of exploiting religious sentiments to secure support from delegates, particularly in northern Nigeria.
However, Amaechi maintained that he would not use religion as a political tool to win elections, describing his position as a reflection of his nationalist convictions.
He alleged that a delegation of Yoruba Muslims from the South-West had approached governors in the North-West, appealing to them to support Tinubu on religious grounds.
Amaechi also referenced former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, whom he said had initially supported his presidential ambition before eventually backing Tinubu.
“El-Rufai was my supporter. El-Rufai, in a viral video, said this is done for the faith,” Amaechi said.
He warned that mobilising political support along religious lines could deepen divisions in the country, insisting that he would not adopt such an approach even if it improved his chances of winning an election.
“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.
Amaechi also questioned the perception of Tinubu as an exceptionally strategic politician, arguing that his political success should be examined against the fact that he had not become president earlier.
Tinubu defeated Amaechi and other contenders at the APC presidential primary held at Eagle Square in Abuja in June 2022, polling 1,271 votes against Amaechi’s 316.
The victory secured Tinubu the APC presidential ticket for the 2023 general election, which he subsequently won.
Amaechi, who served as Minister of Transportation under Buhari, was previously a close political ally of the former president and directed his successful 2015 presidential campaign.
He is now Atiku Abubakar’s running mate on the ADC ticket for the 2027 presidential election.
