LAGOS, Nigeria: Nigeria’s former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, declared himself the most qualified presidential aspirant within the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 general elections during a television broadcast on Friday, May 22, 2026.
Okay News reports that Amaechi stated his leadership track record and relative youth make him the most electable option within the political party during an interview on the television station ARISE News. He positioned his candidacy within a field of aspirants that includes Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and the former managing director of the Northern Nigeria Development Company, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
Amaechi compared his experience to other politicians, including Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu. “I’m the most experienced of them all. I’m the youngest but most experienced. I have been chairman of the Governors’ Forum. None of them, including President Tinubu, has been chairman of the Governors’ Forum because he was once a governor,” Amaechi said.
He noted his tenure leading legislative leaders as another point of experience. “I’ve been chairman of the Speakers’ Forum. None of them has been… In fact, President Tinubu was partially in the parliament as a senator. But how long was he a senator? And what positions did he hold in the Senate? But I held not just the speaker. I ran the Speakers’ Conference. I established the Speakers’ Conference office in Abuja. And I ran this thing for two terms,” Amaechi said.
The former governor criticized the ruling All Progressives Congress administration, accusing the government of using economic conditions to influence the electorate. “The president is creating hunger as a way of manipulating voters. On that day, city boys will bring a bag of rice and some people will eat that rice and vote for them because a bag of rice does not solve hunger for the rest of the year,” Amaechi said.
He further alleged that the political party is using state apparatus to weaken opposition groups. “If they say they are strong, why are they not allowing the opposition to have their political parties? Why are they influencing the political and government institutions against the opposition? Why won’t they leave the rule of law?” Amaechi said.
Amaechi stated that his initial focus if elected to the presidency would center on judicial and administrative enforcement. “The first thing I would do as president of Nigeria is the rule of law. It has to be law and order,” Amaechi said.
