“My First Mistake Was Listening To Buhari” — Amaechi Blames 2022 APC Primary Defeat On Former President’s Unfulfilled Promise

Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed that his defeat by President Bola Tinubu in the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary was largely due to his decision to follow the advice of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, who allegedly promised to endorse him as the party’s presidential candidate.

Amaechi disclosed that Buhari personally instructed him not to campaign or negotiate with party delegates ahead of the June 2022 primary, assuring him that he would announce him as his preferred successor.

The former governor, who is now the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the disclosure during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room programme in Lagos on Friday, November 6, 2026.

Reflecting on the events that preceded the APC presidential primary, Amaechi described his decision to rely on Buhari’s assurance as his first major political mistake, arguing that it prevented him from building the alliances necessary to secure the party’s nomination.

“The first mistake that I made at that primary was that I listened to President Buhari. He said to me, ‘Don’t campaign. Don’t do anything. I will announce you as my candidate,’” Amaechi stated.

He further alleged that Buhari gave him the assurance in writing, adding that he intended to make the document public when he eventually published his memoir.

“He told me that. He put it in writing. When I write my book, I’ll put it out,” he said.

According to Amaechi, he considered Buhari’s promise credible because the former President was his political leader and his boss at the time.

He explained that he believed an endorsement from the sitting President would give him an advantage over other aspirants seeking the APC presidential ticket.

Consequently, he did not engage in the kind of political negotiations and alliance-building that were taking place among governors, delegates and influential party stakeholders before the primary.

Amaechi maintained that his decision not to negotiate political appointments with party leaders weakened his chances of securing sufficient support to defeat Tinubu.

He explained that he could have reached agreements with influential politicians by offering them positions such as Vice President or Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

According to him, such negotiations could have enabled him to secure the backing of governors and other powerful stakeholders within the party.

“Now, I didn’t do deals. So I would have promised you vice-president, promised you SGF, and then would have gone for this primary, I would have possibly won. I would have had governors on my side,” he stated.

Amaechi argued that while he refrained from negotiating political arrangements because of his reliance on Buhari’s assurance, Tinubu took advantage of the opportunity to build alliances within the party.

“Because I didn’t do deals, Tinubu had the chance to do deals,” he added.

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