Amaechi: I’ll leave my wife if she governs like Tinubu

Former Rivers State governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has declared that he would not support his wife if she became president and ran her administration in the same way as President Bola Tinubu.

Amaechi made the statement in an interview with Rapid TV while making a case for Nigerians to vote against Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

He argued that personal relationships, religious beliefs and ethnic considerations should not take priority over the performance of political leaders.

To illustrate his position, the former minister said even his close relationship with his wife would not make him defend an administration whose policies and leadership style he considered unacceptable.

“Today, the closest person in my life is my wife, not my children. So tomorrow, if my wife becomes president and is doing what Tinubu is doing, I’ll be mad to follow my wife, despite my emotional attachment to her. It’s either she changes, or I leave her,” he said.

He called on voters to make their decisions based on the President’s performance rather than party loyalty or other personal affiliations.

“I expect Nigerians not to… forget religion, forget politics, forget ethnicity. Just abandon Tinubu,” Amaechi stated.

The ADC vice-presidential candidate also argued that the current administration had been in power long enough for Nigerians to assess its performance, urging voters to consider an alternative in 2027.

According to him, the opposition deserves an opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to govern.

“There’s a difference between Tinubu’s team and our team. They have been tested, so you know that the next four years you will die. We have not been tested, so give us a chance,” he said.

Amaechi, however, acknowledged that his previous positions as Rivers State governor and minister meant his own record in public service could be examined.

He maintained that his achievements were available for public assessment and encouraged Nigerians to judge his performance based on what he accomplished while in office.

“The only person you can say that has been tested is me, because I’ve been a governor. But my record speaks for itself. I was once a minister. Projects are out there,” he said.

He further pointed to his tenure in Rivers State, saying residents and other Nigerians could independently examine his record.

“I was once a governor. Rivers State is there, anybody can go and verify. You can do your referendum,” he added.

Amaechi also maintained that neither he nor ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had previously served as Nigeria’s president or vice-president.

Taking another swipe at Tinubu’s administration, the former governor used the computer expression ‘garbage in, garbage out’ to warn against returning the President to power.

He argued that retaining a government whose performance voters considered unsatisfactory would likely produce the same outcome.

“So now that you know that Tinubu is bad, if you know that Tinubu is bad and you garbage in the bad things, what comes out? The garbage out will also be bad,” he said.

On electoral participation, Amaechi urged Nigerians to turn out in large numbers in 2027 and remain vigilant throughout the voting process.

He referred to voter participation in the United States as an example of citizens’ involvement in elections, saying Nigerians should similarly demonstrate their commitment at the polls.

“You see what’s happening in America? Already 52 million Americans have voted. They are coming out in their numbers,” he said.

Amaechi further urged voters not to stop at casting their ballots but to challenge any attempt to manipulate the electoral process.

“In the same manner, Nigerians should come out in their numbers and not only vote; stop them from openly bragging that they will rig. If they have the support of the people, would they be bragging that they would rig?” he said.

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