Olushola Omogbehin
Nigeria former Minister of Transport and Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amechi, has emerged as the running mate of Atiku Abubakar for the January 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed this yesterday while describing their joint ticket as a platform for national unity.
According to him, Amaechi’s emergence followed consultations with party leaders, coalition partners, youth and women groups, and representatives from the six geo-political zones.
A frontline support group of the the ADC Like-Minds, has also commended the presidential candidate of the party and the emergence of Amaechi as running mate.
Describing their partnership as pragmatic, broad-based and pan-Nigerian in outlook, the group said Atiku could not have made a better choice,
Abdullahi said that Amaechi earned the nomination after emerging runner-up in the party’s presidential primary and receiving widespread support from members.
“Amaechi’s emergence reflects his outstanding record of public service and his enduring appeal as one of Nigeria’s most experienced political leaders.”
Speaking on his eligibility, the party said Amaechi served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly before completing two terms as governor of the state. He later served as Minister of Transportation for eight yeras, where he supervised major rail and transportation infrastructure projects across the country.
His partnership with Atiku according to the party stands for the coming together of two experienced leaders with the capacity to address Nigeria’s challenges.
“The proposed partnership represents more than a political alliance; it is the coming together of two tested statesmen committed to national renewal.”
The party further said that the combination of Atiku and Amaechi is a credible alternative in governance, economic management and public administration as their ticket will provide competent leadership, economic recovery, improved security and national unity ahead of 2027 election.
“The Atiku/Amaechi ticket sends a clear message that the ADC is prepared to govern, unite the nation and deliver meaningful results.”
ADC therefore urged party members, civil society organisations, youth groups, women leaders and other stakeholders to support its campaign for national transformation.
However, ADC Like-Minds, in a statement, said Amechi possesses the political antecedents, experience and capacity with network to contribute meaningfully to the success of ADC in the coming presidential election.
Describing as a consummate and thoroughbred politician, ADC Like-Minds said the former minister has built a reputation over time as a loyal party man and a bridge builder, with political networking that cuts across the country’s ethnic, regional, religious and party divides.
“Amechi was a two-time Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He served at a time as the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers in Nigeria.
“He was Governor of Rivers State on PDP platform for two unbroken terms of eight years, between May 2007 and May 2015. During his era as Governor of Rivers State, he comprehensively upgraded education infrastructure in the state by building over 250–500 model primary schools and 24 world-class model secondary schools. These schools were equipped with modern amenities, including ICT labs, libraries, and science laboratories, aiming to enhance the learning environment across all 23 local government areas in Rivers State.
“Amechi served at a time as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF). Under his leadership the NGF was a very powerful political and governance institution in the country.
“Towards the tail end of his second term as Governor, Amechi became the Director General of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign, which produced Muhammadu Buhari as the President. After serving as Governor, Buhari (now late) appointed him as the Minister of Transport and he served for eight unbroken years.”
Speaking further, the group recalled that under the leadership of Amechi, the Transport Ministry completed the Warri-Itakpe railway project, connecting southern and northern Nigeria and the Abuja-Kaduna railway, linking central North and the far North, while several airports across the country were upgraded to international standard, to mention but a few.
According to ADC Like-Minds, it was in recognition of Amechi’s contributions to the transport sector that the Daura Emirate Council in Katsina State bestowed on him the title, “Dan Amanar Daura” (meaning “the trusted son” or “Trusted one” of Daura) on February 5, 2022.
“Amechi was again the Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign in 2019 and Buhari won again. He came second in both the presidential primary election of APC for the 2023 election and the ADC presidential primary election for the 2027 presidential election.
“Based on his antecedents, he is the best man to complement the efforts of our indefatigable Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in his quest to rescue Nigerians from ravaging insecurity and economic quagmire.
“Amechi is not only a loyal party man but believes in party supremacy. He is a team player. Like Martin Luther King Jnr. said: ‘We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.’ This statement underlines the fact that human survival and progress depend entirely on our unity and cooperation. This is the essence of the Atiku-Amaechi ticket.”
