A faction within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has publicly rejected former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi as running mate to the party's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Southern Political Progressives Amalgamation Forum (SPPAF) warned that the choice could cost Atiku votes across the entire south.
Through its convener Anga Fidelis and two others, the SPPAF issued a statement rejecting Amaechi's reported selection, arguing that a man who cannot win his own ward in Ikwerre Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State is in no position to deliver the south's 17 states for any presidential ticket.
"As at today, Amaechi is a political liability and it is a statement of fact that he cannot win his Ward in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. When you can't deliver your Ward, how do you deliver your LGA and ultimately the State?" Fidelis said.
He questioned whether Atiku fully grasped the political realities of the Niger Delta, suggesting the former vice president's wide business and social ties across the south may have given him an incomplete picture of Amaechi's standing in his own backyard.
The forum argued that Amaechi had never recovered politically from his role in the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, a grievance it said the people of the Niger Delta had not forgiven.
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"Amaechi's sins to his people are legendary and only reinforces why he is a political liability, a conceived tool for failure and a political pariah in his region.
"He was instrumental to the defeat of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the first President of the South South and Ijaw son because of his selfish ambition to become a Minister under the late President Muhammadu Buhari's administration in 2015," Fidelis said.
While conceding Amaechi's impressive resume on paper, two terms as Rivers State Governor, two ministerial appointments and a stint as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the forum dismissed his credentials as largely theoretical at this point.
"Since 2015, Amaechi has lost all his political leverage and all he now does is bark and rant on media adventures," Fidelis said, adding that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike would relish the opportunity to face Amaechi at the polls again.
The forum urged Atiku to reconsider, warning that the wrong running mate could hand President Tinubu an advantage.
"Atiku should be careful not to turn his likely victory to Tinubu's advantage with such enforced error as making a political dead wood as Amaechi running mate, because that is tantamount to shooting himself in the feet," Fidelis said.
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