BREAKING: I Couldnt Respond When Tinubu Claim He Made Buhari Pres Because I Was Minister Under Buhari — Amaechi

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Former Rivers State governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has defended his role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while distancing himself from the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Amaechi made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, May 22, 2026, where he was questioned about his involvement in the political coalition that brought the APC to power in 2015 and whether the project had failed.

The former governor, who is now seeking the presidency under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), was asked if Nigerians should see his departure from the APC as an admission that the political movement he helped build had not delivered on its promises.

Responding, Amaechi rejected suggestions that he should be blamed for Nigeria’s current political and economic challenges under the Tinubu administration. “I happened not to be President Bola Tinubu. So you can’t certainly put that blame on me,” he said.

He added, “Indeed if anybody should bear the blame it’s Nigerians who’ve actually voted for him, if they actually voted for him, not me.” Amaechi also addressed long-standing claims by President Tinubu that he played the central role in making former President Muhammadu Buhari president in 2015.

According to Amaechi, he refrained from publicly disputing those claims while serving as a minister in Buhari’s cabinet because doing so could have endangered his position in government. “When we decided to form the APC, you know when I was the minister, President Tinibu was claiming he made Buhari president,” Amaechi stated.

He added, “And I couldn’t respond because I was a minister under President Buhari. That would be suicidal because Buhari could fire you. So I couldn’t have said no to the president. Then he wasn’t the president. You know that you are wrong. He didn’t make President Buhari president.”

Amaechi further highlighted his own contributions to the APC’s 2015 presidential campaign, insisting that he played a major role in mobilising support across the country: “Not only was I the DG of the campaign, but everybody would bear witness that I did all the battle. I led the governor’s forum. I crisscrossed the country, fighting here and there, trying to get Nigerians to know that this is a time for change.”

Reflecting on the APC government’s performance since coming to power, Amaechi acknowledged that the promised change was only partially achieved. “Did we achieve the change? Here and there. In some areas, well, we did. In some areas, we did not,” he added.