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2023: How Buhari’s Promise Handed Tinubu APC Ticket – Amaechi
2023: How Buhari’s Promise Handed Tinubu APC Ticket – Amaechi
Amaechi says Buhari assured him in writing that he would emerge as the APC presidential candidate and advised him not to campaign.
Former Rivers governor admits his failure to lobby governors and negotiate political alliances weakened his chances of winning the ticket.
Accuses Tinubu’s camp of using religious sentiments to mobilise support, particularly among governors in the North-West.
Tinubu polled 1,271 votes against Amaechi’s 316 to win the APC presidential ticket in June 2022.
November 7, () – Former Minister of Transportation and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has attributed his defeat in the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary to his decision to rely on an assurance from the late President Muhammadu Buhari that he would emerge as the party’s presidential candidate.
Amaechi said Buhari had personally assured him that he would be announced as his preferred candidate and advised him against campaigning or engaging in negotiations with delegates ahead of the primary. He claimed that the assurance was also communicated to him in writing.
The former Rivers State governor said he trusted Buhari’s promise because of their political relationship and his position as a member of the former president’s cabinet. Consequently, he refrained from building political alliances and lobbying governors and other influential party stakeholders whose support could have strengthened his chances.
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He made the disclosure on Friday during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room programme in Lagos, while recounting the circumstances surrounding his defeat by President Bola Tinubu in the APC presidential primary held in June 2022.
Amaechi described his decision to heed Buhari’s advice as the first major mistake he made during the contest.
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“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,” he said.
The former minister explained that he believed Buhari’s assurance would give him the necessary advantage over other presidential aspirants, making it unnecessary to engage in the intense lobbying and political negotiations taking place within the APC ahead of the convention.
Admits Failure To Negotiate Political Deals
Amaechi also acknowledged that his failure to negotiate political agreements with governors and other influential party members contributed to his defeat. He said he could have secured the support of several governors by making commitments on key political appointments, including the offices of Vice-President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
According to him, political negotiations and alliances are important elements of contests for presidential tickets, but his reliance on Buhari’s assurance prevented him from making the necessary commitments.
“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.
Amaechi maintained that his decision not to engage in such negotiations gave Tinubu the opportunity to consolidate support among governors and other influential figures within the ruling party.
Accuses Tinubu’s Camp of Religious Mobilisation
The ADC chieftain also alleged that religious considerations influenced the outcome of the APC presidential primary, accusing Tinubu’s supporters of using religious sentiments to mobilise delegates, particularly in the North-West.
He claimed that a delegation of Southern Yoruba Muslims approached governors in the region and appealed to them to support Tinubu on religious grounds.
Amaechi also referred to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, whom he said had initially supported his presidential ambition before eventually backing Tinubu.
Citing a viral video involving the former governor, Amaechi said El-Rufai had described the political development as an effort undertaken in support of the faith.
“El-Rufai was my supporter. El-Rufai, in a viral video, said this is done for the faith,” he said.
However, Amaechi insisted that he would not use religion as a political mobilisation tool, even if doing so could improve his chances of winning an election.
Describing himself as a nationalist, he warned that religious mobilisation could deepen divisions and create tension in a country with substantial Christian and Muslim populations. He said he would not encourage members of a particular religious group 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.
Tinubu Defeated Amaechi With 1,271 Votes
Amaechi also questioned the perception of Tinubu as an exceptionally skilful political strategist, asking why he had not become president earlier if his political success was based on an extraordinary ability to manoeuvre political situations.
Tinubu defeated Amaechi and other aspirants at the APC presidential primary held at Eagle Square, Abuja, in June 2022, polling 1,271 votes against Amaechi’s 316 to secure the party’s ticket for the 2023 presidential election.
Other prominent contenders included former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio and former Minister of State for Education Emeka Nwajiuba.
Tinubu subsequently won the February 2023 presidential election and was inaugurated on May 29, 2023.
Amaechi, who was one of Buhari’s prominent political allies, served as Director-General of the former president’s successful 2015 presidential campaign before being appointed Minister of Transportation, a position he held throughout Buhari’s eight-year administration.
He later left the APC and joined the ADC, where he is now the running mate to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on the opposition party’s ticket for the 2027 presidential election.
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