“I Made Buhari President, Not Tinubu” — Amaechi Reveals His Role in 2015 Victory

Former Minister of Transportation and former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu was solely responsible for the emergence of late former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

Amaechi said he played the central role in Buhari’s victory during the historic general election that ended the 16-year rule of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News Prime Time on Friday, the former minister said he deliberately kept silent for years while Tinubu repeatedly claimed credit for Buhari’s rise to power.

According to him, he could not openly counter the claim at the time because he was serving in Buhari’s cabinet and any direct confrontation could have cost him his position.

“When we decided to form the APC, while I was a minister, (Tinubu) was claiming he made Buhari president and I couldn’t respond because I was a minister under President Buhari. That would have been suicidal because Buhari could fire you,” Amaechi said.

The former governor insisted that he was deeply involved in the political battle that produced Buhari in 2015, stressing that his contributions went beyond campaign appearances.

“So I couldn’t have said, ‘You are wrong.’ He didn’t make President Buhari president. Not only was I the DG of the campaign, but everybody will bear witness that I did all the battle,” he added.

Amaechi further explained that as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum at the time, he travelled across the country mobilising political support for the then opposition alliance.

“I led the Governors’ Forum, criss-crossed the country fighting here and there trying to get Nigerians to know that this is the time for change,” he stated.

The former minister served as Director-General of Buhari’s presidential campaigns in both 2015 and 2019. He was also among the leading figures behind the coalition that led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress, APC, after several governors and political blocs broke away from the PDP.

His latest comments appear to reopen the long-standing debate over who played the biggest role in Buhari’s victory against former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

Tinubu, on his part, had repeatedly argued before the 2023 presidential election that Buhari would not have won power without his political structure and influence. The President made the remarks during campaign outings while seeking support for his own presidential ambition.