Amaechi urges Nigerians to choose capacity over ethnicity in 2027

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has urged Nigerians to prioritise competence and track record when choosing their leaders in the 2027 general election.

Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor and minister, said voters should not support the ADC if its candidates failed to deliver on their promises.

He spoke on Monday during a panel session at the Nigerian Bar Association’s 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“ADC provides a different kind of leadership completely. If we can’t perform, don’t vote for us,” Amaechi said.

His comments come amid efforts by opposition parties to form a coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Opposition leaders agreed at a meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, last year to work towards fielding a single presidential candidate, but the proposed alliance has yet to produce a consensus candidate.

Amaechi, who represented the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at the conference, said the coalition had become difficult because politicians were unwilling to set aside their individual ambitions.

“Coalition as it is today is difficult to achieve. If it is possible, I am sure that Vice-President Atiku Abubakar would be willing to participate. But the difficulty in it is that everybody has ambition; nobody wants to give up,” he said.

He accused some politicians of being more interested in personal gain than the country’s welfare.

“There are very few politicians who are in love with Nigeria. What the politicians are doing is to just come in and milk the country dry,” Amaechi said.

The former governor also defended his record in public office, saying the projects completed by his administration in Rivers State remained visible.

He urged voters to assess candidates based on their previous performance rather than ethnicity or place of origin.

“A coalition should be based on performance,” he said.

“Assess us by our last performance and choose; not just vote because you are from Ikwerre or Omoku and choose your candidate.”

Amaechi said Nigerians should therefore judge political parties and candidates by their capacity to deliver rather than by ethnic or local affiliations.