2027: Amaechi admits opposition coalition is difficult, blames personal ambitions

Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has admitted that efforts by opposition politicians to form a united coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections remain difficult due to the ambitions of individual political leaders.

Mr Amaechi spoke on Monday during a panel discussion at the Nigerian Bar Association’s 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, where he represented the ADC presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

“Coalition as it is today is difficult to achieve. If it is possible, I am sure that Vice President Atiku Abubakar would be willing to participate,” Mr Amaechi said.

He identified personal ambitions among opposition politicians as one of the major obstacles to the proposed alliance.

“The difficulty in it is that everybody has ambition; nobody wants to give up,” he said.

The ADC has emerged as the platform around which several opposition figures have sought to build a coalition to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

Atiku, who contested the presidency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 and 2023, is now the ADC’s presidential candidate. Mr Amaechi is his running mate.

Coalition challenge

The opposition has repeatedly discussed the possibility of presenting a single presidential candidate in 2027, but disagreements over who should lead the proposed coalition have continued to complicate the process.

Mr Amaechi’s comments highlight one of the central challenges facing the opposition: persuading prominent politicians who have presidential ambitions to step aside in favour of a consensus candidate.

He said Mr Atiku would be prepared to participate in a coalition if the necessary conditions were met.

But he acknowledged that reaching such an agreement would be difficult because political actors were unwilling to abandon their individual ambitions.

The former minister also argued that any coalition should be built around the performance and track records of the politicians involved.

“A coalition should be based on performance and track record,” he said.

‘Don’t vote for us if we can’t perform’

Mr Amaechi also urged Nigerians to assess politicians based on their records rather than ethnicity or political sentiment.

“If we can’t perform, don’t vote for us,” he said.

He urged voters to examine what candidates had achieved in previous positions before deciding who to support in 2027.

“Assess us by our last performance and choose, not just vote because you are from Ikwerre or Omoku and choose your candidate,” he said.

The former governor also criticised the political class, accusing some politicians of seeking public office for personal benefit.

“There are few politicians who are in love with Nigeria. What the politicians are doing is to come in and milk the country dry,” Mr Amaechi said.

He defended his record as governor of Rivers State, saying projects initiated by his administration were still ongoing.

Amaechi, Sowore clash at NBA conference

The discussion at the NBA conference also featured a heated exchange between Mr Amaechi and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore over the records of former public officials.

Mr Sowore challenged politicians who had previously held public office to account for their records, while Mr Amaechi defended his performance in government.

The exchanges formed part of wider political discussions at the NBA conference, which has brought together several prominent politicians ahead of the 2027 elections.

The NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference, themed “Beyond Limits,” is being held in Port Harcourt from August 21 to 28.