The Vice-Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has warned leaders of his party that the 2027 general elections represent a final stand for the current opposition leadership.
Addressing the ADC National Women League Conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Amaechi declared that an All Progressives Congress (APC) victory in 2027 would effectively end their political careers.
“We, the crop of leaders you see here—if the APC wins the 2027 elections, we are retired from politics,” Amaechi told the gathering. “So, if you don’t want us to retire, we must go home and campaign.”
Drawing parallels to the 2015 election, where the APC dismantled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the center, Amaechi urged the women to mobilize at the grassroots level. He emphasized that the party’s path to victory lies in securing a targeted number of votes per ward.
“If you bring two thousand votes per ward, we have won the election,” he said. “Men are controlled by their wives; don’t let your husbands sleep. Because if we win, you have won. We will not take any election lightly; you will see me in Kebbi, Yola, Rivers, and Delta fighting for the governorship elections, because a presidential candidate cannot govern effectively without the governors.”
Reflecting on his time in the APC, Amaechi noted that the party’s success in 2015 was largely driven by women. He urged the ADC to replicate that strategy, while highlighting the current administration’s economic record.
“When we were in the APC and wanted to remove the then-government, we put women in the forefront. We met with them at night and convinced them that without their votes, we would not win,” he said. “But back then, Nigeria was not as hungry as it is now. How many of you can afford food or school fees today without begging for assistance?”
Amaechi further criticized the administration’s performance, citing rising poverty and education statistics. “By the time I left government, there were 10 to 12 million out-of-school children. Today, there are 20 million. Tinubu is pushing millions of Nigerians—80 percent of them from the North—into poverty every day.”
He challenged northern delegates to take the lead in political mobilization, asserting that if northern women turned out in full force, the incumbent administration would be unable to manipulate the results.
Also speaking at the event, Hajiya Titi Atiku Abubakar urged the women to remain steadfast and resist intimidation. She lamented the soaring cost of living, noting the impact of inflation on essential commodities, including medicine.
“Medicine that we used to buy for N400 is now N1,000. I couldn’t believe my eyes,” she said. “Most of our children are not in school because the cost of living is too expensive. Don’t let them buy you with food. We have to go into every corner of this country, especially the villages, to bring the message of the ADC.”
She encouraged the women to convince friends and neighbors that the time for change is now, emphasizing that despite the party’s limited financial resources compared to the ruling party, their grassroots resolve would determine the outcome of the 2027 polls.
