Former Minister of Transportation and ex-presidential hopeful, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Tinubu, accusing him of deepening hardship across Nigeria and vowing to stop his re-election bid in 2027.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Wednesday, Amaechi announced his official defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), urging Nigerians to register with the party ahead of the next general election.
“If you’re not tired of Tinubu, I am,” Amaechi declared. “If the rich spend ₦4 million a month on electricity, how are the poor surviving? And the President says he doesn’t care. The ADC is here to care.”
He didn’t hold back in his criticism of his home state, describing Rivers as “notorious for writing election results and declaring winners,” and warned his loyalists not to align with electoral riggers.
Amaechi’s defection and open challenge to Tinubu marks a dramatic political shift. Once a key player in the APC, he now claims the party has "lost its soul" and must be replaced to save the country.
“This rally is not just a show of strength — it’s a new beginning. ADC is not just a party; it’s a rescue mission,” he told the cheering crowd before trekking three kilometers through Port Harcourt to his Old GRA residence — a symbolic gesture many interpreted as a challenge to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s influence in the state.
Meanwhile, the Non-Indigenes Alliance Movement (NIAM) has thrown its weight behind the ADC, vowing to support whoever emerges from its presidential primary, including Atiku Abubakar if nominated.
NIAM’s leader, Chief Mike Oyiakhire, described the APC government as a national tragedy, and condemned the political crisis in Rivers State, including the controversial suspension of the governor and calls for a state of emergency.
“Suspending a democratically elected governor is a crime against the people,” he said. “Nigeria cannot continue like this. ADC is the alternative.”
As 2027 approaches, Amaechi’s bold rhetoric and grassroots mobilization in Rivers have reignited political tensions — and signaled the emergence of a new front in the battle for Nigeria’s presidency.
