Amaechi Urges ADC Supporters to Keep Campaigning

The vice presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has asked party members to stay calm and keep campaigning despite a Federal High Court decision that annulled the party’s leadership and presidential primary.

He made this statement on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday morning.

Amaechi, who used to be the governor of Rivers State, said the party has appealed the ruling and is hopeful that the Court of Appeal will make a fair decision. He urged supporters not to let the court ruling distract them from their political work.

"What we have done is continue to let our supporters know that everybody should be calm and continue with your campaign," Amaechi, who served as transport minister under President Muhammadu Buhari, said.

The argument over the ADC leadership started when Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former deputy national chairman, questioned the rise of the David Mark-led leadership.

Gombe took the party and the Mark-led executives to court in Abuja, claiming he should lead the party after the former national chairman, Ralph Nwosu, resigned.

He also challenged the party’s National Executive Committee meeting in July 2025 that produced the Mark-led leadership. Gombe wanted the court to cancel the meeting and its decisions, and stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing the new leadership.

In April, the Supreme Court sent the case back to the Federal High Court to address the main issues. The Supreme Court did not decide who should lead the party.

Justice Peter Lifu ruled on 5 November in favor of Gombe. He nullified the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting and the decisions made there.

The judge also canceled the party’s primary elections, including the process that named former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate. He told INEC not to recognize the outcomes of the disputed meeting.

Although Amaechi said on Tuesday that the party has appealed the decision, he complained that they had not yet received the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, even after asking for it.

"We can’t even see the judgment. He needs to hand over the judgment to us so we can go to the Court of Appeal," he said.

Amaechi questioned why Judge Lifu listened to other issues before checking if the court had the authority to hear the case.

He called jurisdiction the "live wire of every case" and argued that the judge should have sorted that out first.

Amaechi recalled that the Supreme Court had returned the matter to the Federal High Court to decide if it had the power to handle the case.

He was surprised that the judge allowed arguments on other issues without first deciding on jurisdiction.

Amaechi chose not to go into detail about the judgment since the case is with the Court of Appeal. He said the party would rely on its lawyers, who he described as experienced Senior Advocates of Nigeria, to manage the appeal.

The ADC candidate also rejected claims of internal conflict within the party. He pointed to a video he said shows Nafiu Bala Gombe congratulating David Mark during the party's leadership transition.

Amaechi accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of trying to weaken the opposition because of its increasing political activities.

He claimed the ruling party was more focused on distracting the opposition than solving the nation’s problems.

"When we are campaigning, we are addressing issues. We are addressing the issue of the economy, social housing and security. They are not interested," he said.

Amaechi defended the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s, plan for a production-based fuel subsidy. He explained that this idea is different from the previous approach, which subsidized imported oil products.

He said the new policy would help local refineries by providing crude oil at a lower price. For example, if crude sells for about N15,000 internationally, the government could supply it to local refineries for about N10,000. The N5,000 difference would be the subsidy.

He argued that this plan would promote local refining and support the Dangote refinery and other smaller refineries.

Amaechi insisted that government support should go to businesses that produce oil locally, not to importers. He emphasized that the ADC is not suggesting a return to the old subsidy system. Instead, it wants to support local production.

The former governor mentioned that he initially backed the removal of the fuel subsidy but disagreed with how the Tinubu administration carried out the policy.

He also criticized the Tinubu administration for its borrowing and infrastructure spending. He claimed the government borrowed over N143 trillion in about three years, which he said is more than all previous administrations combined.

"Why are you not bringing out the fact that, as we are talking today, you have borrowed over N143 trillion?" he asked.

Amaechi questioned the cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, estimating it at about N33 trillion, or $16 billion. He also challenged how the project was awarded, claiming the government picked a contractor to design and build the road as they went along.

He stated, "No drawing. No process of selecting a contractor. You choose the contractor who is there to design. So what they are doing is, as you move, you design."

Amaechi argued that the government should focus on completing the East-West Road, which earlier administrations had started. He believed finishing that road would benefit Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Edo, and Delta states.

He estimated that completing the East-West Road would cost about N500 billion, much less than the coastal highway.

He accused the president of choosing the coastal highway based on personal benefits from the project.

The former governor criticized the government’s economic priorities, saying it should focus on infrastructure that directly supports economic growth.

He compared the economic conditions under former President Muhammadu Buhari with those under President Bola Tinubu, asking Nigerians to think about their lives under both leaders.

He also criticized the Tinubu administration for its handling of the exchange rate and public spending, saying it has not justified its borrowing and infrastructure costs.

Amaechi expressed confidence in his own experience in office and challenged Nigerians to look at the records of presidential candidates and their running mates before making choices.

"President Tinubu, Vice President Atiku, myself, Shettima, we have all sat in government," he said.

He also asked Nigerians, "Can you do a referendum on us and choose who you want to vote for? That’s what you should be asking?"