25/08/2026
HOW THE ATIKU-AMAECHI TICKET HAS SHIFTED THE DEBATE FROM WHAT CANDIDATES CLAIM THEY WILL DO TO WHAT THEY HAVE ALREADY DONE
By: Piriye Amachree Esq ( )
Member CRA Advocacy Network
—————————————————
When Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was announced as the ADC Vice Presidential candidate, one narrative with which his detractors consoled themselves was that he had been chosen for his financial capacity because, supposedly, he lacked the political capacity to win elections.
By that logic, the appointment of the Governor of Delta State as Treasurer of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, and the Executive Chairman of the NRS as head of its fundraising committee, must have little to do with political prowess and everything to do with the positions they occupy. The irony is difficult to miss. Yet while the political implications of such appointments may be lost on their proponents, their consequences are ultimately borne by all Nigerians.
Since his emergence, Amaechi has helped the ADC showcase the extraordinary possibilities of an Atiku Abubakar presidency and, more importantly, drive the conversation towards an election based on records, ideas and competence.
Few platforms could have been more fitting for this than the NBA Annual General Conference—The largest gatherings of lawyers on the African continent.
Despite the painful loss of his mother, the mourning period and the preparations for her burial, Amaechi stood in for H.E. Atiku Abubakar GCON at the opening plenary themed “Politics, People and Nigeria’s Future”.
He spoke with the depth of someone who understands the critical intersection between law, politics and governance. More importantly, he did not resort to empty rhetoric; he grounded his arguments in the record of his previous service.
Responding to a snide remark from Yele Sowore, he pointed out that the roads, public infrastructure and two primary schools around the conference venue were delivered by his administration. On insecurity, he argued that the solution must go beyond physical policing to what he described as economic policing: targeted government spending that creates jobs, improves living standards and reduces the economic incentives for crime.
Amaechi also used the opportunity to explain Atiku Abubakar’s proposed approach to subsidy. The objective, as presented, is not to subsidise corruption but to subsidise production—by making crude available to local refiners at discounted rates and reducing taxes, levies, duties and charges on critical equipment required for domestic manufacturing.
The policy is intended to achieve two things:
I.provide immediate relief to consumers by reducing the cost of essential goods and services,
II.while stimulating local production, creating jobs and ultimately expanding the government’s revenue base.
But perhaps the most compelling part of Amaechi’s intervention was his emphasis on the Nigerianness of the ADC ticket.
Both Atiku Abubakar and Amaechi have records that speak to merit over ethnic or religious considerations. To reinforce this point, Amaechi cited the diversity of the heads of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Transportation during his tenure.
At a time when our politics has become increasingly defined by ethnic and religious fault lines, Nigeria needs leaders who see the country as one indivisible whole—not through the narrow prism of tribe or faith, but through the broader lens of citizenship, competence and shared destiny.
That was Amaechi’s central message at the NBA conference: judge candidates by their records, ideas and capacity to govern—not by ethnic loyalty, sentimental noise or propaganda.
The message was delivered to the lawyers and dignitaries in that hall, but it was ultimately meant for the entire nation.
Nigerians, the choice is yours. The ball is in your court.
