Fresh controversy has hit the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections as a political pressure group accused former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, of allegedly forcing his way into the party’s vice presidential ticket alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The allegations, contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the Southern Political Progressives Amalgamation Forum, claimed Amaechi used a pending court case challenging the ADC presidential primary to pressure the party into picking him as Atiku’s running mate.
The statement was jointly signed by Comrades Anga Fidelis, Eniafe Ayomide and Johnson Iheanacho.
According to the group, Amaechi allegedly agreed to withdraw the suit only after securing the vice presidential slot and extracting further concessions, including influence over appointments into four strategic federal ministries and several key government agencies.
The Forum alleged that Amaechi subsequently instructed his lead counsel, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, to withdraw Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1215/2026 before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which challenged the outcome of the ADC presidential primary won by Atiku.
Neither Amaechi nor the ADC leadership had reacted to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
The group questioned Amaechi’s electoral strength, arguing that the former Rivers State governor lacked the grassroots political influence to justify such demands.
It recalled that before the ADC primary, Amaechi had publicly ruled out accepting the vice presidential position and criticised Atiku’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate, reportedly warning that it would hand President Bola Tinubu an easy victory in 2027.
“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 said.
The Forum also linked the allegations to Amaechi’s political history, claiming his fallout with former President Goodluck Jonathan contributed to Jonathan’s defeat in the 2015 presidential election.
It further alleged that Amaechi had failed to deliver electoral victories in his polling unit, ward, local government area, Rivers State or the South-South region despite occupying top political positions, including Minister of Transportation and Director-General of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidential Campaign Organisation.
The group warned that the alleged developments could damage the credibility of the ADC, which it described as the opposition platform many Nigerians were looking up to ahead of the 2027 polls.
Drawing a comparison with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Forum argued that Vice President Kashim Shettima possessed greater electoral value because of his political influence in Borno State and the North-East.
The group also revisited Amaechi’s legal battle over his tenure as Rivers State governor after the Supreme Court declared him governor in 2007, alleging that his subsequent court action was aimed at protecting his political future rather than pursuing justice.
It further questioned Amaechi’s loyalty to political allies, citing the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, whom it claimed had revived his political career.
The Forum urged the ADC leadership to select what it described as a credible and widely acceptable vice presidential candidate from Southern Nigeria to improve the party’s chances in the 2027 election.
