Daud Olatunji
Vice-Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Rotimi Amaechi, has warned that members of the opposition party’s leadership may be forced out of active politics if President Bola Tinubu wins the 2027 presidential election.
Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transportation, made the declaration on Wednesday while addressing the ADC National Women League Conference in Abuja.
He urged ADC women leaders to return to their respective states and wards and intensify grassroots mobilisation, stressing that the party must replicate the strategy it used with the All Progressives Congress in 2015.
Amaechi said the outcome of the 2027 election would depend largely on the ability of opposition politicians to mobilise voters at the grassroots.
He said, “We, the crop of leaders you see here, if APC wins the 2027 elections, we are retired from politics. So, if you don’t want us to retire from politics, we must go home.”
He challenged party members to secure votes from their wards, arguing that consistent grassroots mobilisation could significantly affect the outcome of the election.
According to him, the ADC will not treat the presidential and governorship elections separately, noting that the party would campaign across states where it seeks to win governorship seats.
Amaechi said, “We will not take any election lightly. You will see me in Kebbi, Yola, Rivers, Delta, fighting for the governorship elections, because the presidential candidate cannot govern without the governors.”
The former governor recalled the role women played in the APC’s campaign ahead of the 2015 general elections, when the party defeated the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party at the presidential level.
Amaechi urged ADC women to deploy similar grassroots engagement ahead of 2027.
He said the APC campaign at the time involved extensive mobilisation of women across states and communities.
“When we were in APC and we wanted to remove your government, you saw what we did. We brought out the women. In every state we went to, women were in front,” he said.
He added that the women were encouraged to mobilise voters and ensure that people participated in the election.
Amaechi also linked his campaign message to the economic difficulties confronting many Nigerians, alleging that rising living costs and other socioeconomic pressures had worsened the conditions of households.
He claimed that the number of out-of-school children had increased from the figures he cited from his time in government, although the figures were presented without supporting data during the speech.
The ADC chieftain further urged women in northern states to participate actively in the electoral process, saying their votes could influence the outcome of the presidential election.
Also speaking at the event, Hajiya Titi Atiku Abubakar urged ADC supporters not to be intimidated ahead of the 2027 elections.
She called on the women to engage their friends, neighbours and residents in rural communities and persuade them to support the ADC.
Titi Atiku also complained about the rising cost of medicines and other household necessities, using the price of a medicine she said previously sold for ₦400 but now costs about ₦1,000 as an example.
