{"id":395939,"date":"2026-08-26T08:59:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T08:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/395939\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T08:59:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T08:59:20","slug":"2027-amaechi-admits-opposition-coalition-is-difficult-blames-personal-ambitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/395939\/","title":{"rendered":"2027: Amaechi admits opposition coalition is difficult, blames personal ambitions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MTN<\/a><\/p>\n

Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress<\/a> (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has admitted that efforts by opposition politicians to form a united coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections remain difficult due to the ambitions of individual political leaders.<\/p>\n

Mr Amaechi spoke on Monday during a panel discussion at the Nigerian Bar Association\u2019s 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, where he represented the ADC presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoalition as it is today is difficult to achieve. If it is possible, I am sure that Vice President Atiku Abubakar would be willing to participate,\u201d Mr Amaechi said.<\/p>\n

He identified personal ambitions among opposition politicians as one of the major obstacles to the proposed alliance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe difficulty in it is that everybody has ambition; nobody wants to give up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"PT<\/a><\/p>\n

The ADC has emerged as the platform around which several opposition figures have sought to build a coalition to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.<\/p>\n

Atiku, who contested the presidency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 and 2023, is now the ADC\u2019s presidential candidate. Mr Amaechi is his running mate.<\/p>\n

Coalition challenge<\/p>\n

The opposition has repeatedly discussed the possibility of presenting a single presidential candidate in 2027, but disagreements over who should lead the proposed coalition have continued to complicate the process.<\/p>\n

Mr Amaechi\u2019s comments highlight one of the central challenges facing the opposition: persuading prominent politicians who have presidential ambitions to step aside in favour of a consensus candidate.<\/p>\n

He said Mr Atiku would be prepared to participate in a coalition if the necessary conditions were met.<\/p>\n

But he acknowledged that reaching such an agreement would be difficult because political actors were unwilling to abandon their individual ambitions.<\/p>\n

The former minister also argued that any coalition should be built around the performance and track records of the politicians involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cA coalition should be based on performance and track record,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Don\u2019t vote for us if we can\u2019t perform\u2019<\/p>\n

Mr Amaechi also urged Nigerians to assess politicians based on their records rather than ethnicity or political sentiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can\u2019t perform, don\u2019t vote for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He urged voters to examine what candidates had achieved in previous positions before deciding who to support in 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cAssess us by our last performance and choose, not just vote because you are from Ikwerre or Omoku and choose your candidate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The former governor also criticised the political class, accusing some politicians of seeking public office for personal benefit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are few politicians who are in love with Nigeria. What the politicians are doing is to come in and milk the country dry,\u201d Mr Amaechi said.<\/p>\n

He defended his record as governor of Rivers State, saying projects initiated by his administration were still ongoing.<\/p>\n

Amaechi, Sowore clash at NBA conference<\/p>\n

The discussion at the NBA conference also featured a heated exchange between Mr Amaechi and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore over the records of former public officials.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:\u00a0Atiku\u2019s subsidy u-turn: The bankruptcy of desperate ambition,\u00a0By Sunday Dare<\/a><\/p>\n

Mr Sowore challenged politicians who had previously held public office to account for their records, while Mr Amaechi defended his performance in government.<\/p>\n

The exchanges formed part of wider political discussions at the NBA conference, which has brought together several prominent politicians ahead of the 2027 elections.<\/p>\n

The NBA\u2019s 66th Annual General Conference, themed \u201cBeyond Limits,\u201d is being held in Port Harcourt from August 21 to 28.<\/p>\n

\tDiscover more from Premium Times Nigeria<\/p>\n

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