By CHARLES CHIJIOKE
Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has claimed that supporters of Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, frequently direct insults at him, but he deliberately avoids responding in order to preserve political harmony.
Amaechi made the remarks in Lagos during a town hall meeting organised by his loyalists under the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) progressive movement, according to a video circulated by his campaign network.
“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.
“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.”
The former Rivers governor explained that he has instructed his supporters to engage opponents with facts rather than insults, stressing that inflammatory rhetoric could fracture opposition ranks ahead of future elections.
“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 added.
“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 recently joined the ADC after contesting the 2023 presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is seeking the party’s 2027 presidential ticket alongside Obi and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar.
He urged Nigerians to assess his record against that of his rivals, noting that both he and Obi served as governors, while Atiku held national office as vice-president.
“Compare me to Peter Obi, we were governors at the same time. If he’s a better governor, please choose him 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 in public service, Amaechi described himself as hands-on, citing his involvement in railway infrastructure projects and frequent site visits.
“When you are sleeping, I’m running on this track, coming back to Lagos by 2 a.m, I made sure that either once or twice a month, I’m on this track,” he said.
He warned that persistent hostility among supporters of opposition figures could weaken their chances against the ruling government, urging unity of purpose ahead of elections.
“If you cause this kind of friction, it will be difficult to come together to defeat Tinubu. Focus on defeating Tinubu… when your candidate wins, you’ll be able to bring everybody together,” he said.
Amaechi also cautioned that political leaders are often influenced by the tone set by their followers, noting that continued antagonism could complicate future alliances within the opposition.
His comments come amid ongoing realignments within opposition parties, with analysts suggesting that internal cohesion will be critical if the ADC hopes to mount a serious challenge in 2027. Continued divisions, they warn, could fragment the vote and strengthen the position of the incumbent administration.
