Why I Can Never Be Atiku’s Running Mate –Amaechi

Former governor of Rivers state and prominent member of the coalition party, Rotimi Amaechi has ruled out being a running mate to former vice president Atiku Abubakar should the later emerges the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate in 2027.

Former governor Rotimi Amaechi while speaking at an event recently, reiterated his earlier stance on deputizing Atiku Abubakar, citing that he would rather be a minister than become vice president.

Amaechi described himself as being too presidential to become a mere vice president.

“I will not be vice president to anybody. There are too many reasons why I won’t be vice president to anybody.

“The first reason is that I’m too presidential to be vice”, he said.

According to him, the vice president of Nigeria does not have a well established constitutional role, as a result, he is a mere subordinate to the president and subject to the president’s temperament and prejudices.

He added that should he become Nigeria’s vice president under Atiku Abubakar’s presidency, he is likely going to quarrel with the president.

“We will quarrel, instead of that, I would rather be a minister than be a vice president”, Amaechi said.

There have been endless speculation over who emerges the presidential candidate of the ADC. Amid argument over whether the party should zone its presidential ticket in 2027 to the southern Nigeria, there are concerns about Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and serial president aspirant insisting on contesting for president in 2027 at the expense of the party’s presidential ticket going to a Southern politician.

While Atiku Abubakar is poised to clinching the ADC presidential ticket for 2027, the former vice president is at dilemma on who becomes his running mate. Atiku Abubakar’s main choice is his running mate in 2019 who also was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023– Peter Obi. However, the former governor of Anambra state is said to be disinterested in being Atiku’s running mate in 2027 and seeks to negotiating his way into being handed the ADC’s presidential ticket.