Amaechi says he would leave wife if she governed like Tinubu
- Rotimi Amaechi said he would not stand by his wife if she were president and governed like Bola Tinubu.
- The ADC vice-presidential candidate spoke in a Rapid TV interview and urged voters to reject Tinubu in 2027.
- He asked Nigerians to judge candidates by their records and to turn out in large numbers to protect their votes.
Rotimi Amaechi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, has said he would walk away from his own wife if she became president and ran the country the way President Bola Tinubu has.
He made the remark in an interview with Rapid TV, using his marriage to make a point about putting country before personal ties. Amaechi said his wife is the person closest to him, closer even than his children, but that affection would not stop him from speaking out.
"It's either she changes, or I leave her," he said.
The former Rivers State governor and former minister is running alongside ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar. He asked Nigerians to set aside religion, party loyalty and ethnicity when they vote in 2027, and to judge the President on what his government has delivered.
He invites scrutiny of his own record
Amaechi argued that the ruling team has had its chance and that the opposition should be given one. He said his own time as governor and minister is open to anyone who wants to check it.
"Rivers State is there, anybody can go and verify," he said.
He also said neither he nor Atiku has held the office of president or vice-president before, drawing a line between the ADC ticket and the incumbents.
To warn against a second term for the President, Amaechi borrowed a computer saying, telling viewers that bad input produces bad output. He said Nigerians already know what they are getting and should act on it.
On the election itself, he pointed to the United States, where he said 52 million people had already voted, as an example of citizens turning out in force. He urged Nigerians to do the same and to stay watchful at the polls, saying no party should be allowed to boast about rigging.
For ordinary Nigerians, the interview is an early taste of the 2027 campaign, where cost of living, fuel prices, jobs and security are likely to dominate. Amaechi's message is aimed at voters who feel worse off and may be open to a change.
What happens next
The ADC ticket will need to build a nationwide structure and persuade voters that it offers something different. The ruling party has not responded to Amaechi's comments in the reports reviewed.
