Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, has cautioned the African Democratic Congress (ADC) against presenting a northern presidential candidate in the next general election, warning that such a move could weaken the party’s chances in southern Nigeria.
Amaechi spoke in Kano while responding to questions about whether he would support whoever emerges as the party’s presidential flagbearer. While reaffirming his loyalty to the party, he stressed the need for strategic calculations that reflect Nigeria’s political realities.
“I will support whoever emerges. But I also advise the ADC to look around and identify the best material that can convince Nigerians that things will be turned around,” he said.
According to him, three critical factors should guide the party’s decision: capacity, age and what he described as the prevailing “unwritten law of power” currently residing in the South.
“First is capacity. Second is age. Third, which is the last point, is to respect the unwritten law of power that is now in the South,” Amaechi stated.
He argued that respecting the rotational understanding of power between the North and South would make it easier for southern politicians and voters to rally behind the party’s candidate.
“They should conclude that and then transfer power to the North. It makes it easier for those of us from the South to say we are going to compete because the North has said, ‘finish all this’,” he added.
Amaechi warned that presenting a northern candidate at a time when many southerners believe the presidency should remain in the South could complicate the ADC’s campaign efforts in the region.
“If you elect somebody from the North, I’m not saying we won’t campaign, but it will be difficult to convince the South to give up power because they will ask the North, ‘Why is it that it’s only when power comes to the South that there is a problem?’” he said.
Despite his reservations, Amaechi pledged to support whoever emerges from the party’s primary, regardless of region.
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He has also declared his intention to contest for the ADC presidential ticket and promised to serve a single four-year term if elected, allowing power to rotate back to the North.
His position aligns with similar remarks by presidential hopeful Peter Obi, who has also pledged to serve a single term in the spirit of zoning.
Amaechi’s comments come amid internal debates within the ADC. Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has reiterated the party’s stance against zoning the presidential ticket, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, regarded as a leading aspirant, has also indicated that the party would not zone its nomination.
As political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, the zoning debate appears set to shape strategic decisions within the ADC and beyond.