Former Minister of Transportation and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, says he would likely have won the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary in 2022 if he had ignored advice from former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Amaechi, in an interview with Mainland FM shared on Instagram on Saturday, said Buhari had asked him not to campaign, promising to publicly endorse him as his preferred candidate.
According to him, he obeyed the former president because of his position as his boss and the expectation that Buhari’s endorsement would give him an advantage.
However, Amaechi said the decision prevented him from negotiating with party stakeholders and governors ahead of the primary, giving President Bola Tinubu an opportunity to build stronger political alliances.
“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 said.
Amaechi added that Buhari’s promise was made in writing, which he said he would publish when he writes his memoir.
He argued that he could have secured the support of governors and other influential party figures by making political agreements, including promises of key positions in a possible administration.
“Because I didn’t do deals, Tinubu had a chance to do deals,” he said.
Amaechi also accused Tinubu of exploiting religious sentiments to attract support during the APC primary.
He alleged that a delegation of Yoruba Muslims from the South-West approached governors in the North-West, appealing to them to support Tinubu on religious grounds.
According to him, the delegation argued that northern Muslims had consistently supported southern Christian candidates and should reciprocate by backing a Muslim candidate from the South-West.
Amaechi also referenced a viral video in which former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai reportedly spoke about supporting Tinubu in the interest of the Muslim faith.
On June 8, 2022, Tinubu emerged winner of the APC presidential primary with 1,271 votes, defeating 13 other aspirants.
Amaechi came second with 316 votes, while former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo polled 235. Former Senate President Ahmad Lawan secured 152 votes.
Meanwhile, Laolu Akande, former spokesperson to Osinbajo, had recently claimed that Buhari offered to support the former vice-president on at least four occasions during the build-up to the primary.
Akande said Buhari had personally assured Osinbajo of his willingness to support him, raising further questions about the former president’s alleged assurances to multiple presidential aspirants.