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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has come under fresh scrutiny following allegations by a political pressure group that former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, manipulated the party and its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, into choosing him as the party’s vice presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The allegations come amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the ADC seeking to position itself as a major opposition platform. As of the time of filing this report, neither Amaechi nor the ADC leadership had publicly responded to the allegations contained in the statement.
The allegations were contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the Southern Political Progressives Amalgamation Forum and jointly signed by Comrades Anga Fidelis, Eniafe Ayomide and Johnson Iheanacho.
According to the group, Amaechi allegedly used a pending court action challenging the outcome of the ADC presidential primary as leverage to negotiate his emergence as Atiku’s running mate.
“Immediately after securing the running mate position, Amaechi allegedly made further demands for direct control over appointments into four strategic Federal Ministries and several key Federal Government parastatals,” the Forum alleged.
The group claimed that it was only after those conditions had allegedly been met that Amaechi instructed his lead counsel, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, to withdraw Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1215/2026, which had been filed before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The suit sought to challenge the outcome of the ADC presidential primary, which Amaechi lost to Atiku.
Questioning the former Rivers State governor’s electoral relevance, the Forum argued that Amaechi lacked the grassroots political strength to justify such demands.
It recalled that before the ADC primary, Amaechi had publicly dismissed the prospect of accepting the vice presidential slot and had criticised Atiku’s candidature, reportedly suggesting that the former Vice President’s emergence would hand President Bola Tinubu an easy victory in the 2027 election.
“In the Nigerian political space, ambition is often couched as ‘political interest.’ But such personal interest must never be pursued to the detriment of the majority. For Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, it has always been about him alone,” the statement read.
The Forum further linked the alleged development to Amaechi’s political history, citing his fallout with former President Goodluck Jonathan during his tenure as Governor of Rivers State, which it claimed contributed significantly to Jonathan’s defeat in the 2015 presidential election.
“From that moment, the Ijaw nation and a majority of the Niger Delta turned against Amaechi. Since 2015 till date, he has failed to deliver his unit, his ward, or his Ikwerre Local Government Area to any political party he has supported, not even while serving as Minister, or as Director-General of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidential Campaign Organization,” the group stated.
The Forum maintained that the alleged manoeuvres were capable of undermining the credibility of the ADC, which it described as “the credible alternative that millions of Nigerians are looking to for deliverance from the misrule of the APC.”
“Apart from using litigation as a tool of coercion, which the ADC conceded to, out of genuine fear of external hijack and the distraction of protracted legal battles, Amaechi also allegedly demanded powers over strategic appointments into at least four key Ministerial positions and other Federal parastatals. All these demands are coming from an individual who cannot vouch for victory in his ward, his LGA, his state, or his entire South-South region,” the statement added.
Drawing a comparison with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the group argued that the party’s vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, possessed greater electoral value.
It said Shettima “commands the political structure and goodwill to deliver Borno State and wider votes from the North-East geopolitical zone and by extension the entire North.”
The Forum also revisited Amaechi’s legal battle over his tenure as Rivers State governor after the Supreme Court declared him governor in October 2007.
According to the group, despite the apex court’s decision recognising the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the occupant of the governorship seat from May 29, 2007, Amaechi subsequently approached the Federal High Court seeking an interpretation that would make his tenure commence from October 2007 instead.
“The Supreme Court had clearly stated that its judgment recognized the PDP as the occupant of the Governorship seat. Therefore, the tenure was to run from May 29, 2007 to May 29, 2011. But Amaechi, in a grandstanding move, went to court for a personal interpretation. The real motive was to avoid an off-cycle election where his influence would be minimized. To the unsuspecting public, he was pursuing justice. In reality, he was only securing his second term,” the Forum alleged.
It added: “When the Federal High Court ruled against the suit, did Amaechi appeal the judgment? That question alone answers the intent behind the action.”
The group also questioned Amaechi’s loyalty to political allies, referencing the recent death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Did Amaechi remember late President Muhammadu Buhari, the man who pulled him back from political oblivion? The man stood by him even when his own people rejected him over perceived treachery. Now that the late President is no more, and the benefits have dried up, Amaechi has moved on. That is the Amaechi we know,” the statement said.
The Forum urged the ADC leadership to prioritise the party’s electoral prospects ahead of the 2027 polls by selecting what it described as a credible and broadly acceptable vice presidential candidate from Southern Nigeria.
“The solution is simple. If the ADC is serious and does not intend to shatter the hopes of millions of Nigerians who see the party as a breath of fresh air and hope for a new and better beginning, it has to select a credible candidate from the Southern part of the country, one who is not a political liability, but who can galvanize the votes required to win elections,” the statement added.
