Former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has revealed that his defeat to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary was the result of a misstep: relying on a written pledge from late President Muhammadu Buhari to name him as his successor.

Speaking during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room in Lagos, the former Rivers State governor disclosed that Buhari had personally instructed him to refrain from active campaigning or negotiating political deals ahead of the primary.

Background: The Battle for the 2022 APC Ticket

The June 2022 APC presidential primary at Eagle Square, Abuja, marked a crucial turning point in Nigeria’s recent political history. Heading into the convention, several heavyweights, including Amaechi, then, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and former Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, vied for the party’s flag ahead of the 2023 general election.

Amaechi, who had served as Director-General of Buhari’s successful 2015 and 2019 presidential campaigns and subsequently managed the Ministry of Transportation, was widely viewed as one of the President’s closest allies. However, when the votes were counted, Tinubu secured a decisive victory with 1,271 votes, while Amaechi finished second with 316 votes.

Amaechi has since parted ways with the ruling party and currently serves as the vice-presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform for the 2027 presidential race.

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‘I Made a Mistake Listening to Buhari‘

Revisiting the events that led to his primary defeat, Amaechi stated that his trust in Buhari’s verbal and written assurances left him vulnerable to political maneuvering by rival camps.

“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,’” Amaechi said during the broadcast. “He told me that. He put it in writing. When I write my book, I’ll put it out.”

Amaechi explained that because he relied on the President’s backing, he refrained from offering cabinet positions or key appointments to state governors and delegates to build a winning coalition.

“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,” he noted. “Because I didn’t do deals, Tinubu had the chance to do deals.”

Allegations of Religious Maneuvering

The former minister also alleged that religious sentiments were leveraged in the final stretch to swing northern delegates toward Tinubu’s camp. According to Amaechi, a group of Yoruba Muslim figures appealed directly to key North-West governors on religious grounds.

Despite the tactical disadvantage it posed, Amaechi maintained that he refused to deploy religious or regional arguments to secure votes, describing himself as a nationalist who rejects identity politics.

With the 2027 election cycle approaching, Amaechi’s revelations offer an insider look into the high-stakes bargaining and broken alliances that reshaped Nigeria’s political landscape during the 2022 APC primary.