Former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Transportation Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has staked out one of the more provocative policy positions of the emerging 2027 presidential race, declaring that if elected, he would abolish the concept of indigeneship in Nigeria and replace it with a unified citizenship framework.
Amaechi made the declaration after appearing before the African Democratic Congress presidential screening committee, where he submitted his nomination forms and formally declared his intention to contest the presidency on the party's platform.
Amaechi's Vision for a Unified Nigeria
"If I become president, there will not be indigeneship, there will be citizenship," he said. "We are first and foremost citizens of Nigeria."
The former governor argued that regional and religious sentiments had long distorted Nigeria's political conversation, urging voters to evaluate candidates strictly on their records of service rather than where they come from or what faith they practice.
"Assess us by what we have done and reach a conclusion, rather than hearing I'm from the north, I'm from the south, I'm from the east. I'm not from the east: I am a Nigerian."
Federal Character Under Scrutiny
When pressed on the concept of federal character, the constitutional principle that distributes appointments and opportunities across Nigeria's states and regions, Amaechi acknowledged its origins in systemic inequality but framed it as a symptom of a broken system rather than a solution.
"Federal character exists because the system is unfair. It is one way to manage the system."
He illustrated his position with an analogy: if every Nigerian had meaningful employment, the incentive for robbery, which translates to the kind of resource competition that federal character is designed to manage, would largely disappear.
The Indigeneship Debate
The indigeneship question is one of Nigeria's most sensitive fault lines. The current system, which grants citizens rights and privileges in their states of origin rather than their states of residence, has long been criticized for entrenching ethnic divisions, limiting internal mobility, and creating a two-tier citizenship in which Nigerians can live and work in a state for decades without being considered full members of its community.
Abolishing it would be a structural overhaul with far-reaching implications for land rights, university admissions, and political appointments.
Rejecting Religious Rotation
Amaechi also dismissed the idea of a religious rotation for the presidency, describing it as another form of sentiment-driven politics that Nigeria must outgrow. He added that he would proceed to a primary contest if consensus within the ADC did not favor him, positioning himself as a candidate with both the will and the record to take on the incumbent.
The former governor's statements have sparked widespread debate across Nigeria, with supporters praising his bold stance on national unity and critics questioning the feasibility of abolishing a deeply entrenched system. As the 2027 election approaches, Amaechi's proposal is likely to remain a central topic in political discourse.
