ADC: No Crisis Over Rotimi Amaechi as Atiku's Running Mate

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed worries about the silence of former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, affirming that he remains the party’s vice‑presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said there is no crisis within the party and that Amaechi is under no obligation to publicly announce his acceptance of the nomination alongside presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.

Speaking on a television programme, Abdullahi questioned the basis of the controversy, asking, “What do you want to hear? That he has accepted? Did he have a duty to announce that he has accepted?”

Amaechi was one of the aspirants who contested the ADC presidential primary but rejected Atiku Abubakar’s emergence as the party’s flagbearer after the exercise.

Shortly after the primary, Atiku visited Amaechi, a move widely seen as an effort to reconcile party stakeholders and build consensus ahead of the 2027 election. Weeks later, the ADC announced Amaechi as Atiku’s running mate.

Since the announcement, the former Rivers governor has not made any public statement regarding his nomination, fueling speculation about his position.

Addressing the issue, Abdullahi said the party followed due process before announcing Amaechi’s nomination, stressing that it is the responsibility of political parties, not candidates, to communicate such decisions.

“The party has announced that our running mate in 2027 is His Excellency Rotimi Amaechi. Did you hear anybody come out to say, ‘No, it’s not true, I’m not the running mate’?” he asked.

While declining to disclose details of the consultations that produced Amaechi as the vice‑presidential candidate, Abdullahi maintained that the process was properly conducted.

He added that Atiku and Amaechi will be formally unveiled by the party at a later date, noting that the official campaign season has not yet begun.

“We have ample time. We have not even formally unveiled our candidates,” he said.