Crisis is brewing in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the Southern Political Progressives Amalgamation Forum has rejected former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2027 general elections.

The Forum’s Convener, Anga Fidelis, and two others, in a statement yesterday, claimed that Amaechi would be defeated even in his hometown in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Fidelis also argued that if Amaechi could not win his local government area in the last eight years, what were the chances that he would help Abubakar secure votes in the 17 states in the southern part of the country: the South-South (six states), South-West (six states) and South-East (five states).

He said: “With all due respect, maybe Atiku, even though he is a pan-Nigerian who has businesses, friends, associates and ties across the South-West, South-East and South-South parts of the country, may not be fully abreast with the political reality in the Niger Delta region where Amaechi is from.

“As at today, Amaechi is a political liability and it is a statement of fact that he can not win his Ward in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. When you can’t deliver your Ward, how do you deliver your LGA and ultimately the State?”

According to him, Amaechi was instrumental in the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan, a role he said the people of the Niger Delta had not forgotten.

“Amaechi’s sins to his people are legendary and only reinforces why he is a political liability, a conceived tool for failure and a political pariah in his region.

“He was instrumental to the defeat of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the first President of the South South and Ijaw son because of his selfish ambition to become a Minister under the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2015,” he said.

He submitted that a running mate should be someone who would complement the efforts of the candidate and not a liability who would be solely banking on the efforts of the candidate in his stronghold.

“The mission and vision still remain Tinubu must go. Atiku should be careful not to turn his likely victory to Tinubu’s advantage with such enforced error as making a political dead wood as Amaechi running mate, because that is tantamount to shooting himself in the feet.

“Yes, we agreed Amaechi has a rich political pedigree on paper. He should, as a two-term Governor, two-time Minister, two-term Speaker of the State House of Assembly and Speaker of all Speakers, be expected to, yet in reality they are all good on paper and remain so as paper tiger.

“Since 2015, Amaechi has lost all his political leverage and all he now does is bark and rant on media adventures. Already, we can only envisage the joy at the heart of Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister, as he would be relishing another day at the polls to further chase the now chastised cat of Ubima into his shell,” he added. (The Sun)

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