Vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Rotimi Amaechi, has pledged to resign if Nigeria does not begin to experience significant changes within one year of the party taking power in 2027.
Amaechi made the statement during an interview on AIT’s Democracy Today on Wednesday, saying an ADC administration would focus on security, education and the economy.
He identified corruption as another major issue that must be tackled, arguing that public funds intended for critical sectors were being diverted into private hands.
“We must deal with three things. We must deal with security; we must deal with education; we must deal with the economy. And to do all that, corruption will have to come down because there’s no money for anybody to steal,” Amaechi said.
The ADC candidate also criticised the removal of the fuel subsidy by the administration of President Bola Tinubu, questioning the benefits Nigerians had gained from the policy.
“President Tinubu remove subsidy, what are the benefits of subsidy? Subsidy money is in private pockets and they are celebrating,” he said.
Amaechi also raised concerns about the contrast between widespread poverty and the lavish celebrations he said he encounters in some parts of the country.
He said he sometimes left such events after spending only a few minutes because he questioned the source of the money being spent amid the level of poverty in Nigeria.
“I sit down and ask myself, where are these people getting this money from, going by how high poverty is in Nigeria?” he said.
Speaking about the economy, Amaechi said Nigeria relies heavily on imported finished products, claiming that the country now imports more than 46 per cent of such goods.
“Who are those importing? Nigeria is in trouble,” he said.
The ADC vice-presidential candidate also referred to reports of Nigerians booing President Tinubu during his arrival at Lagos International Airport, saying an ADC administration would seek to change the situation.
“I watched people hoot at Tinubu from the Lagos International Airport to his house. If we become President, nobody will do that, they will be clapping for us because we will change Nigeria,” he said.
Amaechi’s one-year pledge comes shortly after Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, said President Tinubu should remove him from office if he fails to deliver the FCT to the President in the 2027 election.
Amaechi, however, said he was willing to make a similar commitment based on the performance of an ADC administration.
“This time, I will say it. If Nigeria does not begin to change one year after we’ve come to office, come to me, I will resign,” he said.