Former Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has made a stunning revelation about the events leading to the 2022 presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, declaring that former President Muhammadu Buhari personally promised him the presidential ticket of the ruling party but failed to keep to his promise.

Amaechi, who was one of the leading aspirants for the APC presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 general elections, said he regrets listening to Buhari and trusting his assurance, describing the former President’s promise as a political deceit that eventually cost him time, resources and political goodwill within the party and across the country.

The former minister made the disclosure while speaking at a private political gathering in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he was addressing his loyalists, supporters and close associates on his political journey, his experience in the APC and his plans for the future of his political career in the country ahead of 2027.

According to Amaechi, Buhari had in 2022 invited him to the Presidential Villa in Abuja and assured him that he would be anointed as the successor to take over from him after the expiration of his tenure in 2023, based on his loyalty, service, competence and contribution to the success of the APC administration.

Amaechi said Buhari told him clearly that he was the most qualified among all the aspirants jostling for the ticket, having served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Governor of Rivers State for eight years and Minister of Transportation for almost eight years, where he supervised major railway and infrastructure projects.

The former Governor disclosed that based on Buhari’s assurance and personal promise, he became fully convinced that the ticket was already his and therefore did not engage in extensive lobbying, horse-trading and consultations with key stakeholders, party delegates and power brokers within the APC who were critical to winning the presidential primary.

He explained that he trusted Buhari’s word as a man of integrity, discipline and honesty, who was known to be a man of his words and who had built his political brand around integrity and anti-corruption, and therefore believed that Buhari would not deceive him or renege on his personal promise to hand over power to him.

Amaechi said to his greatest shock, disappointment and dismay, Buhari abandoned him at the critical moment, failed to endorse him openly, refused to anoint him as promised and allowed the party machinery to be deployed in favour of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who eventually emerged as the candidate and winner of the primary.

He noted that while he was busy relying on Buhari’s promise and assurance, other aspirants, particularly Tinubu, were busy traversing the length and breadth of the country, meeting delegates, governors, traditional rulers and party leaders and building a formidable political structure that eventually secured victory for him at the Eagle Square.

The former minister said he regrets listening to Buhari and relying on his promise, adding that if he had known that Buhari would not keep his promise, he would have worked harder, strategized better and built stronger alliances that could have changed the outcome of the presidential primary in his favour and given him victory.

Amaechi described the 2022 APC presidential primary as a major lesson in Nigerian politics, noting that politics is not about trust, personal promises and gentleman agreements, but about strategy, structure, negotiation, power, money and the ability to outsmart opponents who are equally desperate for power and determined to win at all costs.

He said the experience taught him that in Nigerian politics, no one should rely on the promise of even a President, because promises made in private can easily be denied in public, especially when political interests, ethnic considerations and power dynamics come into play in the struggle for power within the ruling party and beyond.

The former Governor recalled how he resigned from his position as Minister of Transportation in line with Buhari’s directive to all political appointees seeking elective offices to resign, only to be left in the cold without any support, endorsement or compensation from the same Buhari who had earlier promised him the ticket and assured him of success.

Amaechi stated that after his resignation, he committed enormous financial resources, time and energy into his presidential campaign, crisscrossing the country, consulting stakeholders and selling his vision for a new Nigeria, only to realize that the Presidency was not prepared to support his ambition despite earlier assurances and promises made to him.

He noted that during the primary election held at the Eagle Square in Abuja on June 7th and 8th, 2022, it became clear to him that Buhari had indeed abandoned him, as the former President remained aloof, refused to endorse any candidate and allowed the delegates to vote according to their conscience, which ultimately favoured Tinubu who had more money and structure.

The former minister said he scored 316 votes to come second behind Tinubu who polled 1,271 votes to clinch the ticket, while Vice President Yemi Osinbajo came third with 235 votes, adding that he believes the outcome would have been different if Buhari had kept his promise and openly anointed him as his preferred successor.

Amaechi said the promise made by Buhari was not just a casual statement but a firm assurance that was repeated on several occasions, both privately and in the presence of some close aides and associates, which made him believe that Buhari was genuinely interested in handing over power to him as a trusted ally and loyal party man.

He added that many of his supporters and political associates had warned him not to trust Buhari’s promise and to work as if he had no support from the Presidency, but he ignored their warnings, believing that Buhari was a man of integrity who would not deceive him or betray his trust after many years of loyalty and service to him and the APC.

The former Governor said today, he regrets not listening to those who advised him to be more politically strategic and less trusting, adding that his experience should serve as a lesson to young politicians who are coming into politics that they should never rely solely on promises made by political leaders, no matter how highly placed or respected.

Amaechi disclosed that after the primary election, he felt betrayed, disappointed and humiliated, but decided to remain in the APC and support Tinubu’s candidacy in the interest of party unity, cohesion and loyalty, even though he was not given any significant role in the campaign council or the eventual administration after Tinubu’s victory.

He noted that his relationship with Buhari has not been the same since the incident, as he felt that Buhari used him and dumped him after using his loyalty and service to stabilize the administration, especially during critical moments when the administration needed political support from the South-South and South-East regions of the country.

Meanwhile, political analysts and observers have described Amaechi’s revelation as a confirmation of the behind-the-scenes intrigues, horse-trading and power play that characterized the 2022 APC presidential primary, which was one of the most keenly contested, expensive and dramatic primaries in the history of the ruling party and Nigerian politics.

They noted that Amaechi’s disclosure has opened a new chapter in the post-mortem of the APC primary, with many Nigerians questioning why Buhari, who was known for his integrity and anti-corruption stance, would promise the presidential ticket to an aspirant and then abandon him at the most critical moment of the contest.

Efforts to get the reaction of former President Muhammadu Buhari and his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, on Amaechi’s allegations were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report, as calls and messages sent to their known phone numbers and contacts were not responded to, leaving many Nigerians to continue to debate the veracity of Amaechi’s claims.

As at press time, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has also not officially reacted to Amaechi’s statement, but sources within the party said the leadership of the party is not happy with Amaechi’s public disclosure, as it is capable of reopening old wounds and creating fresh crisis within the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Some perty people believe Amaechi’s statement may be a strategic move to re-launch his political career, reconnect with his supporters and position himself for a possible return to political relevance in Rivers State and at the national level, especially as the 2027 general elections approach and new political alignments and realignments begin to take shape.