Rotimi Amaechi is a former two-term governor of Rivers State and a former Minister of Transportation. He was director-general of Muhammadu Buhari’s winning campaign in 2015, ran for the APC presidential ticket in 2022 and for the ADC ticket in 2026, and is now Atiku Abubakar’s running mate.12

Early life and education

Amaechi was born on 27 May 1965 in Ubima, in the Ikwerre area of Rivers State. He studied English and literature at the University of Port Harcourt, where he led the Rivers State students’ union, and graduated in 1987. He announced in 2022 that he had also completed a law degree.1

Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly

Elected to the Rivers State House of Assembly in 1999, he became Speaker the same year and held the post until 2007. He also chaired the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures.1

Governor of Rivers State (2007–2015)

Amaechi won the PDP’s governorship primary in 2007, but the party replaced him with Celestine Omehia, who was declared the winner of the April election. In October 2007 the Supreme Court ruled that Amaechi had been the party’s lawful candidate and therefore the rightful governor, a landmark judgment on internal party democracy.3 He was re-elected in 2011.

His government spent heavily on roads, bridges, schools, health centres and power projects, and began a monorail for Port Harcourt that was never completed.1 In 2013 he fell out with President Goodluck Jonathan’s camp over the chairmanship of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, joined the “G7” governors who broke with the PDP leadership, and moved to the new APC in November 2013.1

Minister of Transportation (2015–2022)

As Buhari’s transport minister, he oversaw the completion of the Abuja–Kaduna, Lagos–Ibadan and Warri–Itakpe standard-gauge railways and port projects, including the Lekki Deep Seaport. He resigned in 2022 to contest the APC presidential primary, where he came second with 316 votes to Bola Tinubu’s 1,271.1

The ADC and the 2027 ticket

Amaechi joined the ADC coalition and contested its presidential primary in May 2026, finishing second with 504,117 votes to Atiku’s 1,846,370. He rejected the result, alleging irregularities, and denied that he had been offered the vice-presidential slot.4 After reconciliation talks, the ADC named him as Atiku’s running mate in June 2026.52

Controversies

Amaechi’s successor and long-time rival, Nyesom Wike, has accused him of mismanaging Rivers State funds, including proceeds from the sale of state power plants. A Rivers State judicial panel set up under Wike investigated him, and in 2022 the Supreme Court allowed the inquiry to proceed. Amaechi has denied the allegations and called them political persecution.1

Personal life

He is married to Judith Amaechi, and they have three sons. He is a Catholic.1

References

  1. Rotimi Amaechi. Wikipedia, accessed October 2026. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

  2. INEC publishes final list of presidential candidates for 2027 election. Channels Television, 12 September 2026. ↩ ↩

  3. Celestine Omehia. Wikipedia, accessed October 2026. ↩

  4. Nobody offered me VP slot — Amaechi fires back at ADC claims. The Guardian Nigeria, 29 May 2026. ↩

  5. ADC names Amaechi as Atiku’s running mate. ICIR, June 2026. ↩