Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, says he is confident of defeating former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to secure the African Democratic Congress presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 election.

Amaechi stated this during an interview on Trust TV on Monday night, where he argued that Atiku’s repeated victories in party primaries had not translated into success at the general election.

“I listened when the former vice president said he never failed a primary before. I hope this will be the first time he will fail primary,” Amaechi said.

“The issue is that at all times that you have passed primary, you have not won an election. So it’s about electability.”

The former Rivers governor said his own candidacy would offer voters a fresh option because he had never contested a presidential election before.

“I’ve never run. If nothing else, I can argue that I’ve never run any presidential election,” he said.

Despite the rivalry, Amaechi praised Atiku and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying both men would perform better than President Bola Tinubu if elected.

“If you give this country to Vice President Atiku to govern, I believe he would do well. Just as I think Governor Obi would do well. Honestly, both of them would do better than President Tinubu,” he said.

Amaechi also accused Tinubu of promoting ethnic considerations in governance, while describing former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a nationalist.

“He’s a Nigerian president. He’s not a Yoruba president,” Amaechi said in reference to Obasanjo.

On zoning, the former minister said he supported the principle because Nigeria was still struggling with national unity.

“The answer is yes and no. Yes in the sense that the country, for now, is yet to be found as a united entity,” he stated.

Amaechi stressed the need for all regions and minority groups in the country to have a sense of belonging.

“If they have to be in Nigeria, then they must be part of Nigeria. They must have a sense of belonging that they are Nigerians,” he added.

He said his governance vision would focus on national integration, education and equal opportunities across the country, including improved educational infrastructure in northern Nigeria and addressing grievances in the South-East.

The ADC presidential primary is scheduled for May 25, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general election.

Other aspirants in the race include Atiku Abubakar and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.