Amaechi Challenges Tinubu: ‘I’ll Quit Atiku Ticket, Back Tinubu If Petrol Drops To ₦600’
By KEMI KASUMU
“If fuel has come down to 600 I will campaign for President Tinubu. If fuel comes down tomorrow to 600 I will campaign for President Tinubu,” he gave the challenge that Nigerians expected Tinubu to take advantage of but which he is not likely to do.
The Vice-Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to reduce the pump price of petrol to ₦600 per litre, saying he would withdraw from Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 ticket and campaign for Tinubu if the target is achieved.
Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor and former Minister of Transportation, made the declaration on Friday, October 2, 2026, while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said he was prepared to personally visit a filling station the following morning to verify the price, challenging anyone who doubted his pledge to accompany him with a camera.
“If fuel has come down to 600 I will campaign for President Tinubu. If fuel comes down tomorrow to 600 I will campaign for President Tinubu,” he gave the challenge that Nigerians expected Tinubu to take advantage of but which he is not likely to do.
Amaechi added that if petrol sold for ₦600 per litre, he would withdraw as Atiku’s running mate and support Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The ADC candidate’s challenge came amid his criticism of the Federal Government’s economic policies, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the continuing high cost of living.
Amaechi Questions Impact Of Subsidy Removal
Amaechi argued that the government had not done enough to ensure that Nigerians benefited from the savings and reforms associated with subsidy removal.
He questioned whether transportation and other living costs had actually fallen, pointing to the high cost of public transportation as an indication of the difficulties confronting ordinary Nigerians.
The former minister also questioned President Tinubu’s declaration in his Independence Day address that Nigeria had entered an “age of prosperity,” arguing that Nigerians should judge the government’s economic policies by their impact on household expenses.
Amaechi further said an Atiku-led government would seek to reduce the cost of transportation, fuel and food within its first year in office.
‘Tinubu Govt More Corrupt Than Buhari’s’
Amaechi also criticised the Tinubu administration over corruption, alleging that corruption under the present government was more glaring than it was under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“If you compare the two you will think there was no corruption under Buhari’s government,” he said.
According to him, the difference was not necessarily the absence of corruption under Buhari, but what he described as the level of visibility of alleged corruption under the current administration.
Asked about his own record, having served as Transportation Minister under Buhari, Amaechi denied involvement in corruption and said he had repeatedly challenged anyone with evidence against him to prove the allegation.
‘Name One Project You’ve Completed’
Amaechi also challenged the Tinubu administration to identify major infrastructure projects it had completed, arguing that the government should be judged by tangible project delivery.
He specifically compared the current administration’s record with Buhari’s first term, citing the completion of the Abuja-Kaduna railway as an example of a major project delivered under the previous administration.
> “Let this government show one thing they have done… let them name one project they have completed, just one.”
He also questioned the reported cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, citing a figure of about ₦33 trillion, or approximately $16 billion, while challenging the government to demonstrate completed infrastructure projects.
Amaechi was formally announced by the ADC in June as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
His latest remarks place fuel pricing, the cost of living, corruption allegations and infrastructure delivery among the issues he says should be central to the 2027 electoral debate.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF INTERVIEW
