Former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has said he would probably have won the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary in 2022 if he had not relied on a promise allegedly made by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Amaechi, who is now the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, said Buhari instructed him not to campaign, assuring him that he would be announced as his preferred candidate.
In an interview with Mainland FM, shared on Instagram on Saturday, the former minister said he obeyed the instruction because Buhari was his boss and he believed the president’s endorsement would strengthen his chances.
Amaechi said the assurance stopped him from negotiating with governors and other influential party stakeholders ahead of the primary.
He added that he could have secured the support of governors by offering political concessions, including the positions of vice-president and Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“Anybody would have defeated anybody in that primary. The first mistake that I made at that primary was that I listened to President Buhari,” he said.
Amaechi added that Buhari put the alleged promise in writing, saying he intended to make the document public when he writes his memoir.
He also accused President Bola Tinubu, who won the primary, of using religious sentiments to attract support from northern APC governors.
According to Amaechi, a delegation of Yoruba Muslims from the South-West appealed to governors in the North-West to support Tinubu, arguing that northern Muslims had consistently supported southern Christians during elections.
He said he refused to engage in religious politics, alleging that the strategy contributed to Tinubu’s victory.
Tinubu won the APC presidential primary on June 8, 2022, with 1,271 votes, defeating 13 other aspirants. Amaechi came second with 316 votes, while then Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo secured 235 votes. Former Senate President Ahmad Lawan polled 152 votes.
Amaechi’s account comes amid renewed attention to Buhari’s alleged assurances to presidential aspirants ahead of the primary. Laolu Akande, former spokesperson to Osinbajo, had also claimed that Buhari repeatedly promised to support the then vice-president.
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