Amaechi argued that the average Nigerian has yet to experience tangible benefits from key policy decisions, including the removal of the petrol subsidy.
By Kehinde Okeowo
African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 Vice-Presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has said he would quit as the running mate on the ticket of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, if the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, drops from its current price to N600 per litre.
The former Rivers State governor made the vow on Friday while appearing as a guest on the Channels TV programme Politics Today.
The current pump price of petrol in Nigeria ranges between ₦1,370 and ₦1,450 per litre, depending on the location and filling station.
However, while criticising the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government over rising transportation costs and general economic hardship, Amaechi vowed to drop his political ambition if petrol prices drop significantly.
He also challenged the administration to prove that its economic reforms have improved living standards, specifically referencing the President’s commitment to lowering transportation costs by 1 October.
Speaking during the interview, he said: “Every day he repeats the same thing. He said by October 1, the price of transport would come down. Check the cost of transport from Nyanya to Abuja; has anything come down? Has anything changed?”
Amaechi added that he would withdraw from the 2027 presidential race as Atiku’s running mate and personally campaign for the incumbent president if petrol sells for N600 per litre.
“If fuel has come down to N600 tomorrow, I will campaign for President Tinubu. If you doubt, come with your camera to my house in the morning. I will go to the filling station and buy fuel.
“If it comes down to N600, I, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, will withdraw as the Vice-Presidential candidate of Atiku and campaign for President Tinubu,” the former Minister of Transportation promised.
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Amaechi argued that the average citizen has yet to experience tangible benefits from key policy decisions, including the removal of the petrol subsidy.
“The essence, according to the President, of the subsidy removal is to better the lives of Nigerians,” he said. “But where is the money? I want to feel it. Everybody wants to feel it.”
He criticised current tax policies, stating that recent minimum wage increases have been negated by statutory deductions and secondary taxation.
“Government increases your salary to N70,000 and then introduces taxes that take away over 60 to 70 per cent.
“With the money in your pocket, will you vote for Tinubu, who has taken away the money from your pocket?”
Amaechi emphasised that economic survival remains the paramount concern for the electorate, adding: “Atiku represents life. Before you talk about a country or that you are a northerner or a Christian, you must first be alive.”
He warned that persistent economic hardship could trigger severe political consequences for the governing party as citizens contend with rising costs.
“Nobody hates Tinubu, and he knows, but his policies are killing people,” Amaechi said, adding that personal experiences with family healthcare costs have highlighted the systemic pressures facing households.
