‘I Made Buhari President, Not Tinubu’ — Amaechi Sparks Fresh Rift Over 2015 Election Victory

Abuja, Nigeria– Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has stirred fresh political controversy after declaring that he—not President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—was the driving force behind the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.

Amaechi, a frontline presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the assertion during an interview on Arise TV on Friday night, directly countering Tinubu’s long-standing claim that he was instrumental to Buhari’s historic victory.

The former Rivers State governor insisted that while Tinubu had publicly taken credit for Buhari’s emergence ahead of the 2023 election, such claims did not reflect the true events that led to the defeat of the then-incumbent government.

Recall that Tinubu, during political consultations in the build-up to the 2023 presidential election, had famously declared that he “made Buhari president,” using the remark to justify his own presidential ambition at the time.

But Amaechi has now pushed back strongly, stating that he deliberately kept silent then to avoid political repercussions within the Buhari administration.

According to him, responding to Tinubu while serving as a minister under Buhari would have been “politically suicidal,” suggesting that such a move could have cost him his position in the cabinet.

“When I was a minister, Tinubu was claiming he made Buhari president, and I couldn’t respond because that was suicidal. Buhari could have fired me because I was still serving,” Amaechi said.

He further emphasised his role as the Director-General of Buhari’s 2015 campaign, insisting that he led the strategic and operational battles that culminated in the former military ruler’s return to power.

“Tinubu didn’t make Buhari president. Not only that I was the DG of the campaign, everyone knows that I did all the battle—not Tinubu,” he added.