Daud Olatunji
Former Minister of Transportation and African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed how former President Muhammadu Buhari allegedly promised to make him the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate in 2022, a development he said ultimately cost him the opportunity to secure the party’s ticket.
Amaechi, who expressed regret over his decision to rely on Buhari’s assurance, said the former president instructed him not to campaign or negotiate with party stakeholders, promising to publicly endorse him as his preferred successor.
The former Rivers State governor said his obedience to the directive prevented him from building the political alliances and securing the support of influential governors that could have strengthened his chances during the APC presidential primary.
He made the disclosure during an interview with Mainland FM, excerpts of which were shared on the radio station’s Instagram page on Saturday.
Amaechi said, “Anybody would have defeated anybody in that primary. 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 and put it in writing; when I write my book, I’ll put it out.”
Explaining why he accepted Buhari’s alleged assurance, Amaechi said he considered the former president his superior and believed an endorsement from the then leader would give him a significant advantage over other contenders.
He, however, admitted that the decision deprived him of the opportunity to negotiate with party power brokers, including governors and other influential stakeholders.
According to him, while he refrained from political negotiations based on Buhari’s promise, President Bola Tinubu, who was also seeking the APC ticket, allegedly capitalised on the situation by building strategic alliances ahead of the primary.
Amaechi said, “When President Buhari said that to me, I obeyed him because, one, he is my boss; two, if he actually announces anybody, that’s a plus for you, so I didn’t do deals.
“So, I would have promised the vice-president to this person, the SGF to another, and then we would have gone for this primary and I would have possibly won. I would have had governors on my side.
“Because I didn’t do deals, Tinubu had a chance to do deals; that is one.”
The former minister also accused Tinubu of exploiting religious sentiments to consolidate support during the APC presidential primary, alleging that a delegation of Yoruba Muslims from the South-West approached governors in the North-West to canvass support for the former Lagos State governor.
According to Amaechi, the delegation reportedly appealed to northern Muslim governors to support Tinubu on religious grounds, arguing that northern Muslims had consistently supported southern Christian candidates in previous elections.
He said he was unwilling to deploy religious considerations as a political strategy, insisting that such sentiments played a significant role in the battle for the APC ticket.
Amaechi stated, “Two, Tinubu played on religion; I won’t play religious politics.
“I remember a delegation of southern Yoruba Muslims went and saw the North-West governors and told them, any time there’s an election, you people support southern Christians; when there’s election concerning the North, we all support you; we are Muslims and for the sake of the faith you need to support Tinubu.”
He also referred to a viral video allegedly featuring former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, which he said reinforced his claim that religious considerations influenced the political calculations surrounding the primary.
Tinubu eventually emerged as the APC presidential candidate on June 8, 2022, after securing 1,271 votes to defeat 13 other aspirants.
Amaechi finished second with 316 votes, while then Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo came third with 235 votes.
Former Senate President Ahmad Lawan secured 152 votes.
Tinubu subsequently won the 2023 presidential election and assumed office as Nigeria’s President.
Amaechi’s latest revelation comes amid renewed attention to the role played by Buhari in determining the APC presidential succession ahead of the 2022 primary.
Former spokesperson to Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, had also recently alleged that Buhari repeatedly assured the former vice-president of his support during the build-up to the same contest.
Akande claimed that Buhari personally offered to support Osinbajo on at least four occasions, allegedly telling him, “If I don’t support you, who will I support?”
The competing accounts have further raised questions about the former president’s alleged assurances to leading contenders and the political manoeuvres that shaped the APC presidential primary.
Amaechi, however, said he would make public the alleged written promise from Buhari when he publishes his memoir, potentially providing further details of the behind-the-scenes negotiations preceding the 2022 contest.
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