The Presidency and the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress have criticised former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi over his description of Nigerians who would vote for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election as “mad people.”
Amaechi, the African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, made the remark on Thursday during a town hall meeting organised by the party in Benin, Edo State, where he urged residents to reject Tinubu at the forthcoming presidential poll.
The former Minister of Transportation also described supporters canvassing votes for Tinubu as thieves, arguing that Nigerians dissatisfied with the President’s policies should not support his re-election bid.
Reacting, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described Amaechi as an irresponsible speaker and questioned his suitability for high political office.
Ajayi, who spoke in an interview, accused the former governor of making controversial remarks for political advantage. He also faulted Amaechi’s previous comments about his late mother and the cost of medication, describing his position as contradictory to his alleged spending on family welfare and her burial.
The presidential aide also questioned Amaechi’s electoral strength, citing his role as Director-General of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaigns in 2015 and 2019. He argued that the former governor had failed to demonstrate his ability to deliver votes for the ADC in Rivers State or the South-South region.
Ajayi further described Amaechi as a liability to the ticket of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, questioning the political value he would bring to the opposition party’s presidential campaign.
Similarly, the Edo APC Publicity Secretary, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, dismissed Amaechi’s comments, insisting that voters in the state were politically informed and capable of making independent choices at the polls.
He defended the performance of the APC-led administration in Edo State under Governor Monday Okpebholo and argued that the Tinubu administration’s reforms and federal support for infrastructure development would strengthen the ruling party’s prospects in the state.
Uwadiae-Igbinigie added that the APC expected Edo voters to support Tinubu in 2027, claiming that the party had set a target of 2.5 million votes for the President in the state.
