Amaechi challenges Tinubu’s narrative on Buhari’s 2015 election victory

Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has disputed claims by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he was chiefly responsible for the election of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News’ Prime Time programme, Amaechi said the success of the 2015 presidential campaign was the result of broader coalition efforts and insisted that he played a leading role in securing Buhari’s victory under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Amaechi, who served as Director-General of Buhari’s 2015 and 2019 presidential campaigns, said he had previously refrained from publicly responding to Tinubu’s claims while serving in Buhari’s cabinet.

“When we formed the APC and while I was a minister, Tinubu kept saying he made Buhari president, and I could not respond at the time because I was serving in Buhari’s government,” Amaechi said. “But he did not make Buhari president alone.”

The former governor argued that his position as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and his involvement in mobilizing support across the country were central to the APC’s historic defeat of the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party in 2015.

Amaechi also referenced the defection of several governors from the PDP to the APC ahead of the election, describing the move as a critical factor in building the opposition coalition that eventually won power.

President Tinubu has repeatedly highlighted his role in Buhari’s emergence as president, especially during his 2023 presidential campaign, when he famously declared in Yoruba, “Èmí lókàn” (“It is my turn”), while citing his political contributions to Buhari’s rise.

Political analysts, however, have long described the APC’s 2015 victory as a collective effort involving multiple power blocs and opposition leaders. Tinubu was widely credited with helping negotiate the merger of major opposition parties, including the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), which formed the APC.

Amaechi’s latest remarks come amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with speculation continuing over his possible role in emerging opposition coalition talks.