ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former Rivers State Governor and ex-minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said he deliberately ignores online attacks from supporters of Peter Obi, insisting that his silence is a strategic decision aimed at preserving peace within the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Amaechi spoke on Friday during a town hall meeting held in Lagos by his supporters under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) progressive movement, where he addressed growing tensions among rival political camps.
According to him, members of his political camp have been given strict instructions to avoid social media confrontations and instead engage critics using facts and issues.
“My people don’t fight. Have you seen any Amaechi person fighting on social media? It is between Atiku people and the Obi people. And Obi people are abusing me; we never reply,” he said in a video shared on X by CRA27 Advocacy, his campaign organisation.
“It’s not because we don’t know English or we cannot reply. The reason we don’t reply is that we always want peace.”
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He explained that his approach is part of a broader political calculation designed to keep the opposition united ahead of the next general election.
“There are things you say when you want to win, because it becomes difficult to bring everybody together. Because we know we will win, we’re not abusing everybody, so we can bring everyone together. I’m careful what I say,” he stated.
“My team is under permanent instruction: don’t abuse anybody in ADC. Even Mr President don’t abuse the president, show the facts.”
Amaechi, who contested the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023 but lost to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, officially joined the ADC on March 6 and is now seeking the party’s presidential ticket for 2027 alongside Obi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
At the Lagos meeting, he urged Nigerians to objectively assess his record in public office against those of his rivals.
“Compare me to Peter Obi we were governors at the same time. If he’s a better governor, please choose him. Although the former vice-president was not a governor, he was once a vice-president. Compare my role as governor, as minister, with the role he played as vice-president. If he’s a better person, please choose him,” he said.
Highlighting his tenure as minister, Amaechi pointed to his hands-on involvement in key infrastructure projects, particularly in the rail sector.
“When you are sleeping, I’m running on this track, coming back to Lagos by 2 a.m. As minister, from Ibadan, making sure this job was completed on time I wasn’t sitting in my office writing or reading memos. I made sure that either once or twice a month, I’m on this track. When we were building Kaduna-Kano, the same thing,” he said.
He also portrayed himself as a leader who remains closely connected to everyday Nigerians, stressing that he understands their daily struggles.
“I’m young. I’m on the street. I know what the problems are. As a minister, as a former governor, I eat in the same restaurants people eat. I don’t go to all these big men’s restaurants because they don’t give me the kind of food I ate when I was small,” he added.
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Amaechi further appealed to supporters of both Obi and Atiku to avoid actions capable of deepening divisions within the opposition, warning that internal conflicts could weaken their chances in 2027.
“If you cause this kind of friction, it will be difficult to come together to defeat Tinubu. Focus on defeating Tinubu. On the day of the primary, go and vote for your own candidate, so that when your candidate wins, you’ll be able to bring everybody together,” he said.
He concluded by cautioning that political leaders often reflect the tone set by their supporters, stressing that sustained hostility within the ranks could undermine unity and future cooperation within the opposition bloc.