The Southern Political Progressives Amalgamation Forum has asked the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to drop former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as the vice-presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 election.

In a statement jointly signed by Anga Fidelis, Eniafe Ayomide, and Johnson Iheanacho on Sunday, the group accused Mr Amaechi of desperation, saying that he lacked the grassroots electoral strength required to win the election.

“If the ADC is serious and does not intend to shatter the hopes of millions of Nigerians who see the party as a breath of fresh air and hope for a new and better beginning, it has to select a credible candidate from the Southern part of the country, one who is not a political liability, but who can galvanise the votes required to win elections,” the group said.

Last month, the ADC announced Mr Amaechi as the vice-presidential candidate of Mr Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The development came after the party concluded its primaries.

The group accused Mr Amaechi of manipulating the ADC into naming him as the VP candidate, alleging that the former governor weaponised a pending court case to negotiate his way onto the ticket.

“Immediately after securing the running mate position, Amaechi allegedly made further demands for direct control over appointments into four strategic Federal Ministries and several key Federal Government parastatals,” the group added.

The group further questioned Mr Amaechi’s desperation for the ticket, accusing him of discontinuing the court case against Mr Abubakar after the party had met his demands.

“In the Nigerian political space, ambition is often couched as ‘political interest.’ But such personal interest must never be pursued to the detriment of the majority. For Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, it has always been about him alone.

“Apart from using litigation as a tool of coercion, which the ADC conceded to, out of genuine fear of external hijack and the distraction of protracted legal battles, Amaechi also allegedly demanded powers over strategic appointments into at least four key Ministerial positions and other Federal parastatals. 

“All these demands are coming from an individual who cannot vouch for victory in his ward, his LGA, his state, or his entire South-South region,” the group said.

It compared Mr Amaechi with the Vice President Kashim Shettima, adding that the latter “commands the political structure and goodwill to deliver Borno State and wider votes from the North-East geopolitical zone and by extension the entire North.”

Mr Amaechi’s spokesperson, Gift Opara, declined to comment when contacted on the group’s allegations.

The development came barely 24 hours after the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, struck out a pre-election dispute suit filed by Mr Amaechi against Mr Abubakar, challenging the emergence of the latter as the ADC 2027 presidential candidate.