The African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has blamed his defeat in the 2022 All Progressives Congress presidential primary on his decision to follow the advice of the late President Muhammadu Buhari not to campaign ahead of the contest.
Amaechi said Buhari had assured him in writing that he would announce him as his preferred candidate, prompting him to refrain from lobbying delegates and negotiating political alliances ahead of the primary.
He disclosed this during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room programme in Lagos on Friday, while reflecting on how President Bola Tinubu defeated him to clinch the APC presidential ticket in 2022.
According to Amaechi, he considered Buhari’s position credible because the former president was his boss and believed his endorsement would give him an advantage over other aspirants.
He said, “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.”
The former Minister of Transportation said his decision not to negotiate political positions with governors and other influential party members also worked against his ambition, giving Tinubu an opportunity to build alliances ahead of the primary.
