• Amaechi says Tinubu did not single-handedly make Buhari president in 2015
• The former minister claims he led the major political battle that secured Buhari’s victory
• Amaechi explains he stayed silent previously to avoid losing his ministerial position

Former Rivers State governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu was solely responsible for the emergence of late former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News’ Prime Time on Friday, May 22, Amaechi insisted that he played the central role in Buhari’s historic election victory under the then newly formed All Progressives Congress.

Amaechi, who is currently seeking the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections, said he remained silent about Tinubu’s repeated claims during Buhari’s administration because openly disagreeing with him could have cost him his ministerial position.

“When we decided to form the APC, while I was a minister, Tinubu was claiming he made Buhari president and I couldn’t respond because I was a minister under President Buhari. That would have been suicidal because Buhari could fire you,” Amaechi said.

The former governor stressed that his contribution to Buhari’s emergence went beyond political support, noting that he spearheaded much of the groundwork that helped the APC secure victory over the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

“So I couldn’t have said, ‘You are wrong.’ He didn’t make President Buhari president. Not only was I the DG of the campaign, but everybody will bear witness that I did all the battle,” he added.

Amaechi further recalled how he mobilised political structures across the country as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum at the time.

“I led the Governors’ Forum, criss-crossed the country fighting here and there trying to get Nigerians to know that this is the time for change,” he stated.

Amaechi served as Director-General of Buhari’s presidential campaigns in both 2015 and 2019.

He was also among the influential political figures involved in the coalition and defections that led to the formation of the APC ahead of the 2015 election.

Despite Amaechi’s claims, Tinubu was widely regarded as one of the architects of the opposition merger that united several parties, including the Action Congress of Nigeria, to challenge and eventually defeat then President Goodluck Jonathan.

Amaechi’s latest remarks come as political alignments ahead of the 2027 elections continue to gather momentum.

In recent months, the former minister has intensified criticism of the Tinubu administration, particularly over the country’s economic challenges.

Amaechi rejects VP ambition, insists on ADC presidential ticket contest

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had declared that he did not purchase the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential nomination form with any intention of becoming a running mate.

The former Rivers State governor stated that his ambition remains strictly for the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that any suggestion of a vice-presidential arrangement was not part of his  political plan.