In an explosive political development, former Minister of Transportation and frontline presidential aspirant under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has openly challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s long-standing narrative regarding the 2015 presidential election.
Speaking during a live interview on Arise TV, Amaechi dismissed claims that Tinubu single-handedly installed Muhammadu Buhari as president, asserting that he was the one who actually faced the fiercest political battles to secure that historic victory.
“Responding Then Would Have Been Suicidal”
The friction over who holds the title of “kingmaker” dates back to the famous “Emi Lokan” (It’s my turn) speech delivered by Tinubu in Abeokuta during the buildup to the 2023 elections. At the time, Tinubu famously declared that without his backing, Buhari wouldn’t have won the presidency after three failed attempts.
Amaechi revealed that he kept silent at the time purely out of political survival while serving in Buhari’s cabinet.
“When I was a minister, Tinubu was claiming he made Buhari president, and I couldn’t respond because that was suicidal,” Amaechi explained during the broadcast. “Buhari could have fired me because I was still serving as a minister.”
The Campaign Director-General Argument
Now free from cabinet constraints and actively positioning himself for the next political cycle, Amaechi laid out his credentials as the true orchestrator of the 2015 APC victory:
- The Frontline Role: Amaechi served as the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organization in 2014/2015, navigating the volatile logistics of the campaign.
- The Political Battles: As the then-Governor of Rivers State, Amaechi was at direct loggerheads with the federal government under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), weathering immense local and national pressure.
- The Verdict: “Tinubu didn’t make Buhari president. Not only that I was the DG of the campaign, everyone knows that I did all the battle, not Tinubu,” Amaechi asserted.
At a Glance: The Battle of the 2015 “Kingmakers”
| Political Actor | Position in 2015 | Key Argument for “Making” Buhari |
| Rotimi Amaechi | DG, Buhari Campaign Organization / Rivers Governor | Managed the campaign machinery and absorbed the heavy political warfare from the ruling PDP. |
| Bola Ahmed Tinubu | National Leader, APC | Merged the Southwest political bloc (ACN) with Buhari’s Northern base (CPC) to create the winning coalition. |
Amaechi’s remarks come at a highly sensitive time as opposition politics heat up. Having officially picked up his expression of interest and nomination forms under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Amaechi is positioning himself as a radical alternative, ready to draw clear battle lines against the current administration.
By pulling back the curtain on the internal dynamics of 2015, Amaechi is clearly looking to dismantle the political mystique surrounding the “Emi Lokan” legacy as he rallies support for his own presidential bid.