Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has blamed his defeat at the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary on his decision to trust the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s assurance that he would support his candidacy.
Amaechi said Buhari advised him not to campaign or negotiate with delegates because the former president would announce him as his preferred candidate.
He made the disclosure during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room programme in Lagos on Friday.
According to Amaechi, Buhari’s assurance was made in writing, a document he said he would publish in his forthcoming book.
He said his decision to follow Buhari’s advice prevented him from building the political alliances that could have strengthened his chances at the primary.
Amaechi also said he did not negotiate political positions with governors and other influential party members, unlike his rival, Bola Tinubu.
He argued that he could have secured the backing of governors by offering political positions, including the vice presidency and Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“Because I didn’t do deals, Tinubu had the chance to do deals,” Amaechi said.
The former Rivers State governor also alleged that religious sentiment played a role in Tinubu’s mobilisation of delegates, particularly in the North.
He claimed that a group of Yoruba Muslims from the South approached governors in the North-West and appealed to them to support Tinubu on religious grounds.
Amaechi also cited former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, whom he said initially supported his presidential ambition before backing Tinubu.
Despite the allegation, Amaechi said he would not use religion to mobilise votes, arguing that doing so could deepen divisions in the country.
He said his decision reflected his belief in national unity and rejected the idea of mobilising voters solely on the basis of shared religious identity.
Tinubu defeated Amaechi and other contenders at the APC presidential primary in Abuja in June 2022, securing 1,271 votes against Amaechi’s 316.
Amaechi is now the African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election.
