Malik Yahya/
Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has delivered a striking insider assessment of the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari, declaring that the former Nigerian leader became “overwhelmed” by the enormous pressures of office before leaving power in 2023.
Amaechi, one of Buhari’s closest political allies and longest-serving cabinet members, made the revelation while speaking publicly for the first time after the controversial presidential primary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) whose outcome he has openly rejected.
In an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo on the programme “#WithChude”, Amaechi disclosed that he had effectively withdrawn from Buhari’s government before the administration ended because the former president struggled under the weight of leadership.
The former Rivers State governor said Buhari became overwhelmed by the demands of governance during the closing years of his administration, one of the strongest public acknowledgements yet by a senior figure within the former president’s inner circle.
Amaechi served as Minister of Transportation for nearly eight years and played a central role in Buhari’s rise to power as Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in 2015.
His comments are expected to reignite debate over Buhari’s presidency, which faced persistent criticism over insecurity, economic hardship, rising debt and concerns about the pace of governance during his second term in office.
The former minister’s remarks also come at a delicate political moment as opposition figures attempt to build a broad coalition capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Amaechi spoke a day after the ADC presidential primary, which he condemned as compromised and manipulated.
“I stand by what I said about ‘concocted results’,” he declared firmly during the interview. “But I am still a member of ADC.”
The former governor’s refusal to back down from his criticism has intensified concerns about divisions within the opposition coalition currently being negotiated among allies of Atiku Abubakar, supporters of Peter Obi and several disaffected political blocs across the country.
Amid growing speculation that he could emerge as a compromise vice presidential candidate within a future opposition alliance, Amaechi dismissed reports that he had been offered such a role.
“No one has asked me to be VP,” he said.
The statement is likely to fuel further calculations over the shape of the opposition coalition and possible candidate pairings ahead of 2027.
Political observers have repeatedly identified Amaechi as a potentially influential figure because of his national reach, South-South political base and longstanding relationships across multiple power blocs.
Before serving in Buhari’s cabinet, Amaechi was Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and later governor of Rivers State for two terms between 2007 and 2015.
As transportation minister, he supervised major rail modernisation projects including the Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge lines, projects frequently cited by the Buhari administration as flagship infrastructure achievements.
Beyond the immediate political controversy, the interview also offered rare insight into Amaechi’s views on some of Nigeria’s most influential political actors.
He spoke extensively about former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President Goodluck Jonathan, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike and former Senate President David Mark.
Despite criticising what he described as Obasanjo’s “messiah complex”, Amaechi nevertheless argued that the former president remained Nigeria’s greatest leader because of the scale of reforms carried out during his administration.
The former minister also reflected on betrayal, friendship, marriage and public life, while discussing his relationship with Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.
Amaechi further defended his reputation against allegations commonly levelled against Nigerian politicians, insisting that he had maintained consistency and honesty throughout his career.
“People say politicians lie, but I don’t lie,” he said. “My record speaks for me.”
Amaechi contested the APC presidential primary in 2022 and finished second behind Tinubu.
Since leaving office, he has increasingly emerged as a vocal critic of governance failures and economic hardship in the country.
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