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Former Minister of Transportation and Presidential Aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has called for discipline and unity among opposition supporters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at an ADC town hall meeting in Lagos on Friday, Amaechi revealed that his supporters operate under strict standing orders not to engage in abusive exchanges on social media.
“My supporters don’t engage in fights on social media. My people don’t fight. Have you seen any Amaechi person fighting on social media? It is between Atiku people and Obi people — and Obi people abusing me. We will never reply,” he stated.
Amaechi attributed the restraint to a deliberate commitment to peace and confidence in victory rather than weakness.
“It’s not because we don’t know English or we can’t reply. The reason why we don’t reply is that we always want peace,” he added.
The former Rivers State Governor questioned the sustainability of hardline positions by rival camps, asking whether supporters of Peter Obi (“Obi or nothing”) and Atiku Abubakar (“Atiku or nothing”) possess the numerical strength to back such stances. He warned that continued friction could undermine the opposition’s ability to defeat President Bola Tinubu.
“If you cause this kind of friction, it will be difficult to come together to defeat Tinubu. Focus on defeating Tinubu,” Amaechi emphasised.
He further instructed his team against abusing any political figure, including the President, advising them instead to present facts and achievements. Amaechi invited Nigerians to compare his record as Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation with those of other aspirants.
“When I came out here, what did I tell you? I said, compare me to Peter Obi. We were governors at the same time... Compare my role as governor, as minister, with the role he [Atiku] played as vice president,” he said, expressing confidence in his broader experience and hands-on leadership, particularly in infrastructure delivery.
Amaechi, however, noted that his willingness to collaborate with other opposition figures depends on the conduct of their supporters. He stressed the need for all camps to campaign vigorously during primaries and then unite behind the eventual winner.
“On the day of the primary, go and vote for your candidate. When your candidate wins, call a meeting and bring everybody together,” he advised.
This message comes as the ADC continues efforts to build a cohesive opposition platform following recent legal victories and high-level stakeholder engagements.