Former Minister of Transportation and presidential hopeful of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has pledged to turn around Nigeria’s fortunes within four years if elected president in the 2027 general election.
Amaechi made the commitment on Thursday shortly after submitting his nomination forms at the ADC national secretariat in Abuja.
He also criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration, blaming it for the worsening economic conditions in the country.
He urged Nigerians to evaluate all presidential candidates based on competence, experience, and track record rather than ethnic or regional considerations.
“What Nigerians should do is assess all of us who are running for office based on our records,” he said.
Nearly everybody who is running for the office of the president has served Nigeria in one way or another. Let this be a referendum. If you have performed, whoever has outperformed the other, vote for the person.”
Amaechi maintained that his years in public service—first as governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 and later as Minister of Transportation under former President Muhammadu Buhari—had adequately prepared him for the presidency.
He further insisted he possessed the capacity and experience to defeat the incumbent and lead Nigeria effectively.
“The next thing is, who is capable of delivering the votes? Who is capable of beating the incumbent? Who has the experience? I believe I am the most experienced.
I am young, I am the most experienced, and I believe I have the capacity. Go back to Rivers State and see what I have done.
Go back to the Ministry of Transportation and see what I have done, and assess it and see whether I can turn the country around. And I will, in four years, turn the country around,” he declared.
Amaechi, who governed Rivers State between 2007 and 2015, also played a key role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and served as Director-General of the 2015 presidential campaign of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
During his tenure as Minister of Transportation from 2015 to 2023, he supervised major rail projects including the Abuja–Kaduna and Lagos–Ibadan rail lines, though critics have raised concerns over the debt incurred for some of the infrastructure projects.
READ ALSO: Amaechi Declares Readiness For 2027, Says He Has Solutions To Nigeria’s Challenges
Speaking on national issues, Amaechi criticised the current administration, saying Nigerians were suffering due to economic policies that had worsened living standards.
He called on voters to prioritise merit over zoning or sentiment.
“Nigerians should vote for merit, not vote for those who say, ‘I’m from this place’ or ‘it is our turn.’
“It is the ‘Emilokan’ mentality that brought us here. It is our turn that brought us here. Now Nigerians are suffering,” he said.
According to him, economic hardship affects all Nigerians regardless of religion or ethnicity.
There is no market for Christians, nor is there a market for Muslims, nor a market for northerners or southerners. The market has only one purpose — the naira. Nigerians are suffering.
He further criticised President Tinubu’s leadership, saying the country was in distress under his watch and questioning his intention to seek re-election.
“The current president has put us in this suffering. I don’t know why he wants to run again. I don’t even know why the APC wants to participate.
They should be ashamed and allow other Nigerians to participate and change the country,” Amaechi added.
On the ADC presidential primaries, the former minister said he would prefer a direct primary system but would accept a consensus arrangement if it favoured him.
“I’m going for primary. If the consensus is me, fine. But if it’s not me, I’m going for primary,” he said.
Amaechi’s declaration comes amid growing political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 elections, as opposition figures reposition and parties seek stronger coalitions to challenge the ruling APC.
The ADC has recently drawn several prominent political actors into its ranks as conversations around economic reform, insecurity, and governance continue to shape the political space, even as it has also seen some high-profile departures in recent weeks.