Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, on Thursday, returned their presidential nomination forms.
The duo will be contesting with Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket for next year’s presidential election.
New Telegraph had earlier reported that Hayatu-Deen had returned his nomination forms on Wednesday and called on the party to consider merit over zoning.
Atiku, who said 2027 would be the last time he would be seeking to rule Nigeria, arrived at the ADC National Secretariat some minutes after 2:30 PM and was received by supporters.
The former vice president, who could not speak to journalists, was ushered into the hall where he dropped his nomination forms before going to the office of the National Chairman, Senator David Mark, for a brief meeting before leaving the Secretariat.
Amaechi, who arrived shortly after, said the 2027 presidential election would be a referendum for everybody who has served Nigeria in one way or another.
He called on the ADC to consider experience and the capacity of the aspirants, but expressed the belief that he is the most experienced.
“I am young, I am the most experienced, and I believe I have the capacity. That is as it pertains to the country. 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,” Amaechi boasted.
He advised Nigerians to vote for merit, but not region, adding, “It is our turn that brought us here.
“It is the turn of Nigerians, because you see there is no market for Christians, nor is there a market for Muslims, nor a market for northerners or southerners.
“Nigerians are suffering. The current president has put us through this suffering. I don’t know why he wants to run. I don’t even know why APC wants to participate. They should be ashamed and allow other Nigerians to participate and change the country,” he stated.
Amaechi called for a direct mode of election to choose the ADC presidential candidate, except if he were chosen as the consensus candidate.
“But if it’s not me, I’m going for primary,” he declared.
