Former Nigerian transport minister and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi has said NDC figure Peter Obi would not steal public funds if elected president, nor would members of his cabinet, emphasising the importance of a leader’s example.
Speaking during an interview on AIT’s Democracy Today programme, Amaechi stated: “If Peter Obi becomes president, he won’t steal and people in his cabinet won’t steal. The president’s body language matters, even though I don’t support him.”
The comments came as Amaechi, running mate to ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar for the 2027 election, outlined priorities for a potential ADC administration, including security, education and the economy. He argued that reducing corruption was essential because diverted public funds left little for development.
“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.
He also pledged to resign if Nigeria showed no significant improvement within one year of an ADC government taking office. “If Nigeria does not begin to change one year after we’ve come to office, come to me, I will resign,” he declared.
Amaechi contrasted the current atmosphere with what he expected under new leadership, noting recent public reactions to President Bola Tinubu. “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.
The remarks on Obi have circulated widely on social media, drawing attention amid ongoing political positioning ahead of the 2027 polls. Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor who left the ruling All Progressives Congress last year to join the ADC, made clear his personal lack of support for Obi while acknowledging the potential impact of the latter’s leadership style on governance and anti-corruption efforts.
