Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South has revealed how President Bola Tinubu allegedly abandoned former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, after the 2023 presidential election.
Ndume, who served as the Director-General of Amaechi’s presidential campaign, recalled that the former Minister of Transportation gave a strong performance in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary, finishing second behind Tinubu.
According to the senator, relations between Tinubu and Amaechi have since deteriorated, with Amaechi now a prominent figure in the growing coalition of political leaders opposing President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Speaking in an interview with Arise News, Ndume claimed that President Tinubu initially made overtures to reconcile with Amaechi and integrate him into his administration, but later backed out without explanation.
Ndume said, “I’m 65. I have been in this business for 24 years. God has given everything to me. The only thing I have to do right now, and I am prepared to die doing it, is to speak the truth and do what is right.”
He continued, “Yeah, we had 315 votes. We gave them a good fight. And then after that, we thought things would go on fine, actually, because I remember vividly that Tinubu, the Governor of Lagos [Sanwo-Olu], the current Minister of Defence, who else came to call me to say he [Tinubu] wants to come and meet with myself, Amaechi.”
Ndume narrated how plans were made for a meeting between Tinubu and Amaechi after the Hajj pilgrimage, but the meeting never materialized.
“So we agreed. And at that time, I remember, I was to go for Hajj. We had to go for Hajj. And so the President said, ‘Look, we want you to come on board, and let’s work together’.
“And we agreed, and then we agreed that we’d meet after I come back, and that meeting did not hold. That was how they abandoned Amaechi.”
