Rotimi Amaechi, the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has told Nigerians not to vote for his party if it fails to deliver on its promises. Speaking on Monday at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Amaechi said voters should assess candidates based on their track record and capacity to perform, not on tribal identity.
According to Channels Television, Amaechi was representing ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar at the conference. He warned that the ADC deserves no votes if it cannot meet the expectations of the electorate. "If we can't perform, don't vote for us," he said, adding that the ADC offers "a different kind of leadership completely."
Opposition Coalition Remains Stalled Amid Personal Ambitions
Amaechi's remarks come at a delicate time for Nigeria's opposition bloc, which has struggled to present a unified front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Last year, opposition leaders met in Ibadan, Oyo State, and agreed in principle to support a single presidential candidate for the 2027 election. However, that agreement has not translated into action, and no joint flagbearer has been named.
The former Rivers State governor acknowledged that forming a coalition has proven more difficult than anticipated. "Coalition as it is today is difficult to achieve. If it is possible, I am sure that Vice President Atiku Abubakar would be willing to participate," he said. He attributed the impasse to the unwillingness of political actors to set aside personal ambitions. "The difficulty in it is that everybody has ambition; nobody wants to give up. There are very few politicians who are in love with Nigeria. What the politicians are doing is to just come in and milk the country dry," Amaechi stated.
Amaechi Defends His Record and Challenges Ethnic Voting
Despite the frustrations, Amaechi maintained that any meaningful alliance must be built on governance results rather than political convenience. "A coalition should be based on performance," he said.
The former minister also defended his tenure as governor of Rivers State, pointing to infrastructure projects that he said remain visible across the state. He used his record to reinforce his call for voters to scrutinise candidates based on past achievement. "Assess us by our last performance and choose; not just vote because you are from Ikwerre or Omoku and choose your candidate," he said, directly challenging voters to reject ethnic loyalty as a basis for political choice.
Amaechi and Sowore Clash at NBA Conference
In a related development, Legit.ng reported that Omoyele Sowore and Amaechi exchanged sharp words at the same NBA conference in Port Harcourt. Sowore challenged Amaechi over his record in government, prompting an angry response from the former minister. Amaechi fired back at Sowore, questioning his political experience and asking him to stay quiet as he replied to the 2027 presidential candidate.
The confrontation underscores the deep divisions within Nigeria's opposition as the 2027 election approaches. Amaechi's call for merit-based voting and his admission of coalition difficulties highlight the challenges facing opposition parties in their bid to unseat the APC. The next steps for the opposition bloc remain unclear, with no consensus candidate yet named and internal rivalries persisting.
