Oshiomhole Dismisses Amaechi, Questions His Political Consistency Ahead of 2027

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has criticised former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, describing him as unreliable and questioning his political consistency amid discussions about the 2027 presidential election.

Oshiomhole made the remarks during an interview on TVC while responding to Amaechi’s assessment of the political challenges facing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the next general election.

“If you know Amaechi, you won’t waste airtime talking about him,” Oshiomhole said, dismissing the former transport minister’s comments.

The former Edo State governor questioned Amaechi’s previous dispute with Atiku over the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary. According to Oshiomhole, Amaechi had accused Atiku of emerging from a fraudulent process and challenged his victory in court.

“Here is Amaechi on record in your TVC coverage and other network stations, who said that his own boss, the presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, that the primary that produce him was a fraudulent process, and Atiku stole the mandate, he didn’t win the mandate. He didn’t stop there. Amaechi went to court to challenge Atiku that he stole the mandate,” Oshiomhole said.

Oshiomhole further alleged that Atiku subsequently approached Amaechi to reach an agreement over the disputed mandate. He maintained that court documents existed to support his account, although the details of the alleged agreement were not independently established in the supplied report.

The senator also referred to Amaechi’s political history, arguing that the former governor benefited from a Supreme Court decision that paved the way for his emergence as Rivers State governor. He also noted that former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Amaechi as a minister in 2015.

Oshiomhole additionally criticised Amaechi for describing other political figures as ethnic champions, arguing that the former governor had presented himself as an exception before the ADC primaries.

“He referred to Atiku as an ethnic champion. He referred to every other person as an ethnic champion. He was the only non-ethnic champion in the ADC before their primaries,” Oshiomhole said.

His comments followed Amaechi’s assessment that Tinubu faces more challengers from the South in the 2027 presidential race, while Atiku faces fewer opponents because he is from the North. The exchange highlights disagreements among political figures as parties and potential candidates position themselves ahead of the election.