BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed how his decision to trust former President Muhammadu Buhari's promise of an automatic endorsement cost him the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket in 2022, eventually paving the way for President Bola Tinubu to emerge as the party's flagbearer.

Amaechi said Buhari had assured him that he would be chosen as the APC presidential candidate but specifically instructed him not to campaign or engage in political negotiations with delegates ahead of the party's presidential primary.

The former Rivers State governor, who is currently the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the revelation during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM's The Situation Room programme in Lagos on Friday.

According to Amaechi, he relied heavily on Buhari's assurance and consequently stayed away from the intense lobbying, bargaining and political alliances that shaped the contest, a decision he now considers one of his biggest political mistakes.

He disclosed that Buhari had not only made the promise verbally but also put it in writing, adding that he intends to make the document public when he eventually publishes his memoir.

"The first mistake that I made at that primary was that I listened to President Buhari. He said to me, 'Don't campaign. Don't do anything. I will announce you as my candidate.'

"He told me that. He put it in writing. When I write my book, I'll put it out," Amaechi said.

He explained that his failure to negotiate with governors and other influential APC figures significantly weakened his chances, while Tinubu took advantage of the political atmosphere by building alliances and securing the support of key party stakeholders.

Amaechi admitted that he could have improved his chances by offering influential politicians strategic positions, including the vice-presidency and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), in exchange for their backing.

He suggested that such negotiations could have helped him secure the support of more governors and other powerful figures within the party.

"Now, I didn't do deals. So I would have promised you vice-president, promised you SGF, and then would have gone for this primary, I would have possibly won. I would have had governors on my side.

"Because I didn't do deals, Tinubu had the chance to do deals," he said.

Amaechi Accuses Tinubu's Camp of Using Religion to Mobilise Delegates

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Beyond the political negotiations that shaped the APC primary, Amaechi also alleged that religious sentiments played a significant role in determining the outcome of the contest.

He claimed that supporters of Tinubu appealed to religious identity to win the backing of delegates, particularly influential governors from the North-West.

Amaechi alleged that some Yoruba Muslim figures from the South approached governors in the region, urging them to support Tinubu on the basis of their shared religious identity.

He also brought up the role of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, whom he said initially supported his presidential ambition before eventually aligning with Tinubu.

"El-Rufai was my supporter. El-Rufai, in a viral video, said this is done for the faith," he stated.

However, Amaechi maintained that he was unwilling to turn religion into a political bargaining tool, arguing that mobilising voters along religious lines could create unnecessary divisions and threaten national unity.

To illustrate his position, he cited the Catholic community in Nigeria, saying he would never ask church leaders to mobilise their members to vote for him simply because they shared the same faith.

He warned that such an approach could deepen religious divisions and create serious problems for the country.

"I wouldn't want to run that kind of federation. Catholics are 35 million in Nigeria. I wouldn't want to go to the Catholic Church and say, please announce me. Tell them that all Catholics must go out and vote Amaechi.

"It will cause confusion. It will cause problems in the country. That makes me a nationalist," he said.

Amaechi contested the APC presidential ticket in June 2022 alongside Tinubu and several other aspirants but lost to the former Lagos State governor, who went on to win the 2023 presidential election and become Nigeria's president.