Former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has declared himself the most qualified and electable presidential aspirant in the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, said his leadership experience and relative youth put him ahead of other aspirants vying for the party’s presidential ticket.
He spoke on Friday during an interview on Arise Television.
The ADC presidential race includes former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, and former Northern Nigeria Development Company boss, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
Asked why the ADC should choose him over other aspirants, Amaechi said he had held major leadership positions that gave him an advantage.
Amaechi stated, “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.”
He also cited his time as a former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and chairman of the Speakers’ Forum.
The former minister further stated, “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 he became the first person to serve two terms as the Nigeria Governors’ Forum chairman.
He said, “I was, in the second term, asked to come and be chairman again. I became the first chairman to have a second tenure as chairman of the Governors’ Forum. And you saw how controversial it was.
“The president then didn’t want me to come back. I remember the president calling me one day. ‘You have turned the Governors’ Forum into a labour union.’
“And I said, no, sir, I’m just a public relations officer because your governor is a member. So it’s what the governors decided that I just announced.”