Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has dismissed claims that he was offered the vice-presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the party’s 2027 presidential primary. Amaechi made the clarification during an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, amid growing controversy surrounding the outcome of the ADC primary election held on Monday.
Primary Election Results
The former minister had contested the presidential ticket alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Managing Director of the defunct FSB International Bank, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen. At the end of the exercise, Atiku emerged winner with 1,846,370 votes, while Amaechi secured 504,117 votes to place second. Hayatu-Deen polled 177,120 votes.
However, Amaechi, in a statement issued on Tuesday, rejected the outcome of the primary over alleged irregularities and voter disenfranchisement, insisting that the process did not reflect the democratic principles the party promised to uphold. He alleged that the results announced by the party were being “concocted” and questioned the credibility of the exercise.
Consultations Before Rejection
Speaking further during the interview, Amaechi said consultations were held before the statement rejecting the election outcome was released. According to him, the final decision to issue the statement was jointly reached by himself and Hayatu-Deen after discussions on the conduct of the primary.
“Before the statement was made, there were consultations. We agreed that we should issue the statement. In fact, the final conclusion was between me and Hayatu-Deen,” Amaechi said.
Denial of VP Offer
The former Rivers governor also addressed reports claiming that he stormed out of a meeting with the ADC national leadership after allegedly being asked to accept the vice-presidential slot. Amaechi denied the claims, stating that no such discussion took place during his meeting with the National Chairman of the party, David Mark.
“I went to see the national chairman of ADC. After our discussion, he walked me to the exit door, I shook his hands and I left. We discussed something different from what they wrote about,” he said.
“But people said I stormed out after he told me to run for VP. But I am not joking; nobody has ever told me to be vice-president because they know my worth and what will be my reaction,” Amaechi added.
Party Tensions and Reconciliation Efforts
His comments come amid mounting tensions within the ADC following similar objections raised by Hayatu-Deen, who also rejected the primary results over alleged manipulation and irregularities. Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar had on Thursday met with Amaechi as part of reconciliation efforts aimed at uniting party stakeholders ahead of the 2027 presidential election. According to the former vice president, the meeting centered on discussions about the future of the country and efforts to “rescue Nigeria.”
