Former Minister of Transportation and presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has debunked President Bola Tinubu’s claim that he was responsible for Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence as president in 2015.
Amaechi made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television on Friday night, insisting that he played the central role in Buhari’s successful presidential campaign.
The former Rivers State governor said he had remained silent on the issue for years because he was serving in Buhari’s cabinet and did not want to risk losing his position as minister.
According to him, Tinubu’s repeated claim that he made Buhari president was inaccurate.
“When I was a minister, Tinubu was claiming he made Buhari president, and I couldn’t respond because that was suicidal. Buhari could have fired me because I was still serving as a minister,” Amaechi said.
The ADC presidential hopeful maintained that he was deeply involved in the political struggles and campaign activities that eventually led to Buhari’s victory at the 2015 presidential election.
“Tinubu didn’t make Buhari president. Not only that I was the DG of the campaign, everyone knows that I did all the battle, not Tinubu,” he stated.
Amaechi’s comments come years after Tinubu publicly declared during the buildup to the 2023 presidential election that he played a major role in Buhari’s emergence and therefore deserved the support of the ruling party for his own presidential ambition.
Tinubu had at the time argued that it was his turn to lead the country after contributing significantly to the APC’s electoral victories.