Nigeria’s leading opposition candidate, ADC’s Atiku Abubakar, picks Buhari’s Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, as running mate
By KEMI KASUMU
It will be recalled that Atiku won the governorship election of Adamawa State in 1999 but was sworn in as Vice President based on the decision of then President Olusegun Obasanjo to make the former Deputy Comptroller of Customs his vice president after the election. Amaechi, on his path, remains a former Rivers State Governor that history will not wish away in a hurry for his achievements across board and a Nigeria’s Minister that under President Buhari achieved the modern railway system that has continued to make Nigeria proud.
Presidential candidate of Nigeria’s most popular opposition political party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has picked former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation under the Muhammadu Buhari Administration, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate for the 2027 election.
The DEFENDER reports that this rigorously accessed choice of Amaechi by the former Nigeria’s Vice President has further strengthened the hope of many Nigerians that taking the country from the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the coming February election is a done deal considering the qualities and achievements of both personalities even when they were not in position to ever govern the country before.
It will be recalled that Atiku won the governorship election of Adamawa State in 1999 but was sworn in as Vice President based on the decision of then President Olusegun Obasanjo to make the former Deputy Comptroller of Customs his vice president after the election. Amaechi, on his path, remains a former Rivers State Governor that history will not wish away in a hurry for his achievements across board and a Nigeria’s Minister that under President Buhari achieved the modern railway system that has continued to make Nigeria proud.
Announcing the decision, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Amaechi’s emergence followed broad consultations within the party and reflected his strong performance as runner-up in the party’s presidential primaries as well as his track records of service to his state and the country.
According to the ADC, Amaechi’s extensive experience across both the legislative and executive arms of government, as former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term Governor of Rivers State, and former Minister of Transportation, makes him uniquely qualified to complement Atiku’s leadership, strengthen the party’s national appeal, and bolster its campaign to offer Nigerians an experienced and credible alternative ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The party said the choice of Amaechi underscores its commitment to presenting a leadership team with proven governance experience and national appeal as it prepares for the 2027 presidential contest.
