ADC Ticket: What I’ll do as President — Amaechi

By Juliet Umeh

Former Minister of Transportation and ex-governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has declared that Nigeria requires a new political direction anchored on poverty reduction, job creation, accountability and the rule of law, as he intensifies consultations ahead of the 2027 presidential election under the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

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Speaking during a televised interview on Arise Television, Amaechi said Nigerians must begin to assess political leaders based on their performance and track records rather than ethnic or regional sentiments.

According to him, the 2027 election should serve as “a referendum” on all political actors seeking office.

“I have been governor, minister, speaker and chairman of the Governors’ Forum. Nigerians have the right to assess me based on my performance,” he said.

Amaechi, who played a prominent role in the coalition that brought the All Progressives Congress, APC, to power in 2015, admitted that although the Buhari administration recorded achievements in some areas, it also fell short in meeting several expectations.

“In some areas, we succeeded, and in some areas we failed the country. But compared to what Nigerians are facing today, things are much worse now,” he stated.

The former minister linked rising insecurity across the country to worsening poverty, unemployment and economic hardship, stressing that many young people turn to crime due to lack of opportunities.

“Nobody is born a terrorist. Circumstances and environment force people into crime. The solution is to create jobs and provide alternatives to criminality,” he said.

Amaechi proposed large-scale social housing and mechanised agriculture as part of strategies to stimulate employment and reduce insecurity if elected president.

“Imagine building 300,000 houses in Kano. Think about the number of masons, carpenters, contractors and labourers that would be engaged. Once people are employed, crime reduces,” he explained.

He also criticised the management of funds saved from fuel subsidy removal, alleging that ordinary Nigerians were yet to feel the impact.

“As good as the subsidy removal policy may be, the money is not reaching ordinary Nigerians. Hunger is increasing across the country,” he said.

Reflecting on his tenure as governor of Rivers State, Amaechi highlighted investments in education, healthcare, roads and power infrastructure.

He said his administration built modern primary schools in communities across the state, reduced classroom overcrowding, employed over 13,000 teachers and introduced digital learning infrastructure.

“We built primary schools in every village. We reduced class sizes from about 150 pupils to 25 pupils per class. We also established healthcare centres across communities and expanded power generation capacity,” he said.

Amaechi further pledged to support whoever emerges as ADC presidential candidate, provided the process is transparent and credible.

He also urged Nigerians to defend their votes during elections and resist electoral manipulation.

“Vote for me because I will reduce poverty and reduce crime. I have done it before in Rivers State, and I can do it again for Nigeria,” he said.

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