Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has challenged President Bola Tinubu to steer clear of the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the lead-up to the 2027 elections.
Amaechi specifically called on the President to instruct National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to “leave the judiciary and INEC alone”.
The former Rivers State governor made the challenge on Friday during an interview on Channels TV.
“If he’s confident, tell him to tell Nuhu Ribadu to leave his judiciary and INEC. Why apply the use of the institutions, the federal institutions against the ADC?
“Tell him that if he’s confident, he should instruct his national security adviser to leave the judiciary and INEC alone and see whether he’ll win the election,” he said.
When pressed on the allegation, Amaechi declined to elaborate.
“I will not explain. If you don’t have eyes, leave it. Even Tinubu, he knows that. And he brags about it. That’s the funny part of it,” he said.
He also dismissed the INEC chairman’s interpretation of a Court of Appeal ruling that the ADC was effectively leaderless.
“Look at the interpretation of the ruling or judgment by the Court of Appeal. Amupitan interpreted the judgment to be that we are leaderless.
“But that’s not true. And that’s not what the law says,” Amaechi said.
The former governor, who managed President Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaigns in 2015 and 2019, maintained that the strategy being deployed involves using government institutions to disrupt rival political platforms.
He warned that this could undermine the credibility of the electoral process.
He called for a level playing field, urging authorities to allow all parties to participate freely, stressing that only a transparent and fair contest can reflect the true will of the people in 2027.
