Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has firmly ruled out the possibility of serving as vice president to any presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
Amaechi’s declaration comes amid growing speculation that he could emerge as a running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is widely tipped to secure the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the next polls.
Speaking at a public event in Abuja, Amaechi dismissed the idea outright, insisting that he has no interest in deputising anyone, regardless of political alignment or circumstance.
“I will not be vice president to anybody. There are too many reasons why I won’t be vice president to anybody. The first reason is that I’m too presidential to be vice,” he stated.
Amaechi, who is also reportedly nursing his own presidential ambition on the ADC platform, argued that the challenge with the vice presidency in Nigeria goes beyond personalities and politics, describing it as a fundamentally flawed office.
According to him, the position is structurally weak, subordinate by design, and largely dependent on the goodwill and temperament of the sitting president, often leaving the occupant with little real influence.
“In Nigeria, the problem of the vice presidency is not ceremonial; it is structural. The office is designed to be subordinate and powerless. Everything depends on the president’s temperament,” he said.
He further suggested that such an arrangement is bound to create friction, noting that disagreements between presidents and their deputies are almost inevitable under the current system.
“We will quarrel. Instead of that, I would rather be a minister than be a vice president,” Amaechi added.
His remarks are likely to reshape ongoing political calculations within the opposition as alignments begin to form ahead of the 2027 elections.
