Buhari Promised to Announce Me as Preferred Candidate, Amaechi Discloses: "The First Mistake"

• Rotimi Amaechi revealed that former President Buhari told him in writing not to campaign ahead of the 2022 APC presidential primary
• Amaechi said his refusal to cut political deals with governors gave Tinubu the opening to build alliances and win the ticket
• The ADC vice-presidential candidate also accused Tinubu of using religious sentiment to secure delegate support in the North

Rotimi Amaechi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, has revealed that former President Muhammadu Buhari personally assured him, in writing, that he would publicly back him as his preferred candidate at the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary.

Amaechi made the disclosure during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM's The Situation Room in Lagos on Friday, November 6, where he reflected on how he lost the APC presidential ticket to President Bola Tinubu.

He said Buhari's assurance led him to hold back from campaigning, lobbying delegates, or negotiating political alliances ahead of the contest, a decision he now considers his biggest mistake.

"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.

How Deals Decided the 2022 APC Primary

Amaechi said his reluctance to promise political positions to governors and party heavyweights ultimately cost him vital support within the party. He acknowledged that committing to appointments such as the vice-presidency and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation could have brought governors to his side.

"Because I didn't do deals, Tinubu had the chance to do deals," he said.

He also accused Tinubu of appealing to religious identity to win over Northern delegates, alleging that a delegation of Southern Yoruba Muslims approached governors in the North-West and urged them to back Tinubu on religious grounds. He cited former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as someone who had supported him before switching to Tinubu.

"El-Rufai was my supporter. El-Rufai, in a viral video, said this is done for the faith," Amaechi said.

The former minister of transportation said he would not use religion as a tool to win elections, arguing that doing so would stoke division across the country.

"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.

Tinubu defeated Amaechi and several other aspirants at the APC presidential primary held at Eagle Square, Abuja, in June 2022, winning 1,271 votes to Amaechi's 316. Tinubu went on to win the 2023 presidential election.

Amaechi, who directed Buhari's successful 2015 presidential campaign and later served as his Minister of Transportation, is now the running mate to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on the ADC ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.

'Why Buhari Didn’t Name Successor in 2023 Election': Ex-DSS DG

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the former director general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, said former President Muhammadu Buhari did not name a successor to save life and keep the APC intact.

The former DSS boss said Buhari made a wise decision in refusing to openly name a preferred successor. Bichi stated this in the 600-page book: “From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari,” written by Dr Charles Omole.

“In those months, knives were out; politically and, as security professionals know too well, sometimes literally. To name an anointed heir would be to paint a target on a human being and to foreclose a process that, for all its imperfections, was designed to distribute risk," he said.