Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi submitted their candidacy papers at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.
In a tweet on his X handle on Thursday, Atiku stated that his presidential bid is part of a larger movement aimed at restoring national prosperity and rebuilding Nigeria.
Amaechi, for his side, offered to turn the country around in four years if elected, stating that the 2027 election should be decided on competence, experience, and performance rather than ethnicity or political sentiment.
Their statements come as the ADC continues to attract high-profile lawmakers ahead of the next general election, amidst escalating political realignments around the country.
Speaking after submitting his form at the ADC national headquarters in Abuja, Atiku wrote, “The march to restore prosperity and better days to our beloved nation took a firm and decisive step forward today at the national secretariat of our great party, the African Democratic Congress.”
He noted that the movement transcended politics and was focused on national renewal and hope.
“This is more than a political journey; it is a national movement rooted in hope, renewal, and the collective resolve to save Nigeria from despair,” he stated.
He urged Nigerians across ethnic, religious, and regional divides to support the movement.
“I call on all Nigerians, regardless of region, faith, or background, to join us in this noble cause. Together, we will restore the promise of our nation and bring good times back again,” he added.
Amaechi, for his part, promised to restructure Nigeria within four years if elected in the 2027 general election.
Amaechi made the vow shortly after submitting his nomination forms, during which he also criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration, blaming it for the country’s deteriorating economic situation.
The former Rivers State governor stated that the 2027 election should be decided on competence, experience, and performance rather than ethnic or regional preferences.
“What Nigerians should do is assess all of us who are running for office based on our records.
“Nearly everybody who is running for the office of the president has served Nigeria in one way or another. Let this be a referendum. If you have performed, whoever has outperformed the other, vote for the person,” he said.
Amaechi claimed that his years in public office had equipped him for the role of leading the country, citing his time as governor and then minister of transportation under the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The next thing is, who is capable of delivering the votes? Who is capable of beating the incumbent? Who has the experience? I believe I am the most experienced.
“I am young, I am the most experienced, and I believe I have the capacity.
“Go back to Rivers State and see what I have done. Go back to the Ministry of Transportation and see what I have done, and assess it and see whether I can turn the country around. And I will, in four years, turn the country around,” he declared.
Amaechi, who was governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015, played a significant role in the creation of the All Progressives Congress and later served as director-general of President Buhari’s 2015 campaign.
From 2015 until 2023, he was Minister of Transportation, overseeing significant railway projects such as the Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Ibadan train lines, though some questioned the mounting debt linked with key infrastructure projects.
Speaking about the state of the nation, the former minister criticized what he saw as increased hardship under the Tinubu administration, claiming that Nigerians were feeling the price of economic policies that had deteriorated living standards.
“Nigerians should vote for merit, not vote for those who say, ‘I’m from this place’ or ‘It is our turn.’
“It is the ‘Emilokan’ mentality that brought us here. It is our turn that brought us here. Now Nigerians are suffering,” he said.
