Former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has disputed President Bola Tinubu’s claim that he single‑handedly made Muhammadu Buhari president in 2015, insisting that Buhari’s victory was the result of collective effort within the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Amaechi, who served as director‑general of Buhari’s campaign, said he played a central role in mobilizing support nationwide. “Not only was I the DG of the campaign, but everybody will bear witness that I did all the battle,” he said in a televised interview. He explained that he could not counter Tinubu’s claim at the time because serving under Buhari meant speaking out could have cost him his ministerial position.
Tinubu, during his 2023 campaign, had declared he was instrumental in Buhari’s victory, famously saying “it is my turn.” Amaechi’s remarks mark one of the most direct challenges to that narrative from within the APC.
Tinubu, born in Lagos in 1952, served as governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and was a key architect of the APC merger in 2013. He rose to the presidency in 2023 and has long been regarded as a political strategist and kingmaker. Amaechi, born in Rivers State in 1965, was Speaker of the Rivers Assembly before serving as governor from 2007 to 2015. He later became Minister of Transportation under Buhari and ran for the APC presidential ticket in 2022, finishing second to Tinubu. Buhari, born in Daura in 1942, first ruled Nigeria as military head of state from 1983 to 1985 before returning to politics and winning the presidency in 2015, defeating incumbent Goodluck Jonathan. His tenure, which lasted until 2023, was marked by anti‑corruption campaigns and security challenges.
Amaechi’s comments highlight internal rivalries within the APC and competing narratives about who built the party’s success. Buhari’s 2015 victory was historic as Nigeria’s first peaceful transfer of power between parties, achieved through broad coalition efforts. Tinubu’s legacy as kingmaker is now being openly contested, while Amaechi positions himself as a figure who carried much of the burden in that landmark campaign.
