Rotimi Amaechi, an African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate and former Transportation Minister, says former President Muhammadu Buhari promised him the APC presidential ticket in writing ahead of the 2022 party primary, but did not honour it. Amaechi says Buhari advised him against campaigning or taking political steps, telling him he would be announced as the candidate.
He links his eventual loss in the June 2022 APC presidential primary—where Bola Tinubu emerged as the winner—to the choice to heed Buhari’s instructions. Several outlets report that Amaechi says he refrained from lobbying delegates and building alliances with key political figures because he believed the written assurance would be enough.
The coverage is broadly consistent across the outlets provided, with differences mainly in emphasis. Some reports focus on the written nature of the promise and the personal lesson Amaechi draws from it, while others highlight the role of the advice in his decision-making during the primary period.
