Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has urged opposition parties in Nigeria to begin mobilising citizens ahead of the 2027 general election, stressing that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not politically invincible.

 

Amaechi made the remarks while speaking at the 2025 National Electoral Reforms Summit held in Abuja on Tuesday, where he warned against political apathy and the growing weakness of civic and pressure groups across the country.

 

“When you say the president is invincible, he is not invincible. I’ve worked with him and I know him,” Amaechi said.

“When you say the results are already written, they are happy to spread that narrative so people won’t come out.

If you come out en masse, nobody will write any results. Nobody will take away the result sheets. Anyone who tries it will only be creating problems for himself.”

 

The former Rivers State governor and ex–Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation accused Nigeria’s political class and state institutions of eroding accountability, warning that true reform would not come from the government without citizen pressure.

 

He lamented that traditional civic groups such as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) no longer command the influence they once did.

 

“Don’t wait for the NLC. There is no NLC. There is also no ASUU or NANS anymore,” Amaechi said.

“If you are waiting for the government to initiate any reform, you are wasting your time. Before the election, there must be resistance to those who do not want a credible process.”

 

Turning to the state of the economy, Amaechi described widespread hunger as a growing reality for Nigerians regardless of class or status.

 

“The other day, I said Nigerians are hungry. If they are not hungry, I’m hungry. But whether I’m hungry or not, are Nigerians not hungry?” he asked.

 

He also criticised patronage politics and contractor–politician alliances, saying they were deepening inequality and weakening democracy.

 

Amaechi’s comments come just days after former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, declared that President Tinubu would face no serious opposition in 2027, describing the contest as “Tinubu versus Tinubu.”

 

While Kalu expressed confidence in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its grip across Nigeria, Amaechi’s remarks signalled a call to action for opposition unity and citizen mobilisation ahead of the next general election.