Amaechi says he’s willing to serve just one term as president in 2027
Oluwatosin Ogunjuyigbe
Former transport minister Rotimi Amaechi has said he would be prepared to serve just one term as president if he wins the 2027 election with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Amaechi spoke on Thursday during an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a Channels Television programme, explaining his commitment to Nigeria’s unofficial power-sharing arrangement between the north and south.
The former Rivers State governor said he believes in stepping down after four years to maintain the country’s political balance and prevent instability.
“For now, the way Nigeria is, you must keep to that unwritten agreement that says south eight years, north eight years,” he said.
Amaechi drew on his past experience fighting against governments that failed to honour similar agreements, explaining why he feels so strongly about the issue.
“I led a fight against the PDP government because there was an agreement that the government at that time would spend four years, but after four years, the government reneged, and I said, ‘no, that will be unfair.’
“That will lead to instability at its peak, as the north will react. So, the best thing to do is to support a northern candidate to continue the balance of power.
“Just like I will be telling the northerners that, no, the south should be allowed to complete their tenure — if the south isn’t allowed to complete their tenure, then I have made a mistake in supporting….”
When directly asked if he would only serve one term if given the ADC ticket, Amaechi replied simply: “Of course.”
He explained that his political plans are tied to a coalition agreement that puts party-building ahead of personal ambition.
“If not for the coalition agreement, the answer to whether I’ll run (as president) would have been an outright yes,” he said.
“But what did we agree? Everyone should keep aside their ambition. Let’s first get the platform. Let’s build it before talking about the presidency.”
Amaechi previously contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary in 2022, finishing second behind current President Bola Tinubu.
His comments come just days after Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, expressed his readiness to serve a single term if elected in 2027. Obi has also long supported the north-south rotation principle.
On Wednesday, coalition members unveiled the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their chosen platform for the 2027 general election, with Amaechi present at the launch in Abuja.
‘Tinubu’s administration worse than Buhari’
During the interview, Amaechi launched a scathing attack on President Tinubu’s administration, claiming it performs worse than former President Muhammadu Buhari’s government in every area.
“Buhari will tell you he didn’t achieve everything, but his government was better than this one by all standards,” he said.
Amaechi praised several aspects of Buhari’s presidency, arguing that security, transport, and electoral independence were all better under the previous administration.
“Security under Buhari was a priority. Transportation saw progress. INEC had more independence.”
He particularly criticised what he sees as the current government’s interference with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), claiming officials now take orders from the government.
“Today, they can’t even register a party because government officials are telling INEC not to,” Amaechi said.
“So, how is INEC an umpire when it takes instructions from the government?”
Amaechi also contrasted the current situation with his own experience as a governor, when he successfully challenged federal interference in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
“When I heard the president wanted to appoint a chairman for the Governors’ Forum, I almost collapsed,” he said.
“We demanded an election, and I won — 19 votes to Jang’s 16. Back then, governors had a voice. Now? They don’t.”
He also defended Buhari’s more cautious approach to government borrowing, saying the former president often blocked loan requests that had no ties to essential infrastructure projects.
“Buhari once rejected a minister’s loan proposal at FEC and insisted only key ministries like transport should access credit,” Amaechi said.
BusinessDay NG