Rotimi Amaechi, Vice-Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has warned party leaders that a victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 could mark the end of their active political careers, urging them to intensify grassroots mobilisation. Amaechi made the declaration on Wednesday at the ADC National […]

Rotimi Amaechi, Vice-Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has warned party leaders that a victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 could mark the end of their active political careers, urging them to intensify grassroots mobilisation.

Amaechi made the declaration on Wednesday at the ADC National Women League Conference in Abuja, where he challenged party members to leave the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and return to their states and wards to build support for the opposition party.

The former Rivers State governor said ADC leaders must take the 2027 presidential election seriously and replicate the grassroots strategy that helped the APC defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 presidential election.

He told party members that their political future could depend on the outcome of the 2027 election, warning that an APC victory would leave the present crop of ADC leaders with little choice but to retire from politics.

Amaechi said, “We the crop of leaders you see here, if APC wins the 2027 elections, we are retired from politics. So if you don’t want us to retire from politics, we must go home.”

He specifically appealed to ADC women to mobilise voters at ward level, saying the party should aim for about 2,000 votes from each ward rather than concentrating solely on winning individual wards.

The former Transportation Minister also recalled the APC’s 2015 campaign, saying women were placed at the forefront of the party’s mobilisation efforts across the country and were encouraged to turn out in large numbers on election day.

According to Amaechi, the ADC would not focus only on the presidential election, as he plans to campaign in places including Kebbi, Yola, Rivers and Delta for governorship contests.

He argued that winning governorship seats would also be important to the party because, as he put it, “the presidential candidate cannot govern without the governors.”

Amaechi also used the occasion to attack the economic situation in the country, questioning how many Nigerians could currently afford food and school fees without seeking financial assistance.

He claimed that the number of out-of-school children had risen to about 20 million from between 10 million and 12 million when he left government, and alleged that the North accounted for a large proportion of those affected.

He further claimed that Nigerians were being pushed into poverty and urged northern voters, particularly women, to take an active role in the 2027 election. The claims were made by Amaechi during his address and were not independently established in the report.

Also addressing the gathering, Hajiya Titi Atiku Abubakar urged ADC women to campaign extensively across the country and convince their friends, neighbours and other voters to support the party.

Titi Atiku highlighted the rising cost of medicines, saying a drug she previously bought for ₦400 had risen to ₦1,000, while also expressing concern over the rising cost of living and its impact on families.

She called on the women to take the party’s campaign into rural communities and villages, urging them not to be swayed by food or other temporary incentives during the election season.