Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has blamed his defeat in the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary on his decision to follow the advice of late President Muhammadu Buhari not to campaign ahead of the contest.
Amaechi said Buhari had assured him in writing that he would announce him as his preferred presidential candidate, prompting him to abandon efforts to lobby delegates and negotiate political alliances before the primary.
The former Minister of Transportation disclosed this during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room programme in Lagos, while reflecting on the contest in which President Bola Tinubu defeated him to secure the APC presidential ticket.
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He said he trusted Buhari’s assurance because the former president was his boss and had previously worked closely with him.
“The first mistake that I made at that primary was that I listened to President Buhari. He said to me, ‘Don’t campaign. Don’t do anything. I will announce you as my candidate.’
“He told me that. He put it in writing. When I write my book, I’ll put it out,” Amaechi said.
Amaechi said he believed Buhari’s endorsement would give him an advantage over other aspirants because the former president was his superior and had the influence to determine the party’s choice.
He added that his decision not to negotiate political positions with governors and other influential APC members further weakened his chances, allowing Tinubu to build alliances ahead of the contest.
The former governor said he could have secured the support of governors by offering them strategic political positions, including the vice-presidency and the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
“Now, I didn’t do deals. So I would have promised you vice-president, promised you SGF, and then would have gone for this primary, I would have possibly won. I would have had governors on my side.
“Because I didn’t do deals, Tinubu had the chance to do deals,” he said.
Amaechi also accused Tinubu of exploiting religious sentiments to secure delegates’ support, particularly in northern Nigeria.
He alleged that a delegation of Yoruba Muslims from the South-West approached governors in the North-West and appealed to them to support Tinubu on religious grounds.
He also cited former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, whom he said initially supported his presidential ambition before eventually backing Tinubu.
“El-Rufai was my supporter. El-Rufai, in a viral video, said this is done for the faith,” Amaechi said.
However, the ADC chieftain said he would not exploit religious sentiments to mobilise support for his presidential ambition, warning that such politics could deepen divisions in the country.
He said he would not ask members of any religious group to vote for him simply because they shared the same faith.
“I wouldn’t want to run that kind of federation. Catholics are 35 million in Nigeria. I wouldn’t want to go to the Catholic Church and say, please announce me. Tell them that all Catholics must go out and vote Amaechi.
“It will cause confusion. It will cause problems in the country. That makes me a nationalist,” he said.
At the APC presidential primary held at Eagle Square, Abuja, in June 2022, Tinubu who emerged winner polled 1,271 votes to defeat Amaechi, who secured 316 votes.
