Former Minister of Transportation and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has vowed to abandon the 2027 presidential ticket with Atiku Abubakar and campaign for President Bola Tinubu if petrol sells for ₦600 per litre.
Amaechi made the declaration on Friday, October 2, 2026, during an interview on Channels Television, where he criticised the Tinubu administration’s economic policies and the hardship confronting Nigerians.
“If fuel comes down to 600 tomorrow, I will campaign for President Tinubu,” he said. 
“Tomorrow, if you doubt, come with your camera in the morning in the house, and I will go to the fuel station, and I will buy fuel.
“If fuel has come down to this, I, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, will withdraw as the vice-presidential candidate of Atiku and campaign for President Tinubu.”
The former Rivers State governor was responding to questions about the impact of the removal of petrol subsidies and the federal government’s economic reforms on ordinary Nigerians.
He argued that the rising cost of transportation, accommodation, healthcare and other essential services had eroded the benefits of the government’s wage increase, leaving many Nigerians struggling to survive.
Amaechi cited the experience of workers at his wife’s business, claiming that some employees earning ₦70,000 monthly were spending almost their entire salaries on transportation.
“I have my wife, I have staff in her shop, and they’re asking for a salary increase. Do you know why they’re asking for a salary increase?
“Transport from where they live to the ₦70,000 you pay them in a month as wage, as their income. Transport alone takes ₦65,000,” he said.
He also expressed concern over the rising cost of accommodation, alleging that some tenants had experienced sharp increases in rent and leasing charges.
“What about house rent? That loan has increased its rent by 300%. I have somebody call me up in Lagos and tell me they’ve increased my leasing by 100%,” he said.
The ADC chieftain further argued that higher wages had failed to provide sufficient relief because of increasing living expenses and what he described as the heavy tax burden on workers.
He also highlighted the difficulties Nigerians face in accessing healthcare, claiming that he had received numerous appeals from people unable to afford prescribed medicines and medical treatment.
“How many people have died because they can’t afford drugs? How many people have called me, sent me texts asking me to pay for their drugs?” he asked.
Amaechi said the economic situation had become a major issue ahead of the 2027 general election, insisting that Nigerians should prioritise their survival over ethnic, regional and other political considerations.
He described the forthcoming election as a critical decision about the country’s future, warning against Tinubu’s re-election.
“The people have not two choices, one choice to make, the choice to be alive, because Tinubu presents the choice of death,” he said.
He added that Nigerians would face further difficulties if Tinubu secured a second term, claiming that the president’s re-election could threaten the country’s future.
“The people are tired. They are hungry. The president can only help them by giving them food,” Amaechi said.
Despite his harsh criticism of the president’s policies, the former minister insisted that his position was not motivated by personal hostility towards Tinubu.
“Nobody hates Tinubu. I love Tinubu. He knows,” he said.
Amaechi’s remarks came a day after former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar criticised the Tinubu administration, accusing it of worsening poverty and urging Nigerians to vote for a change of government in 2027.
Tinubu, however, defended his administration’s economic policies during his October 1 Independence Day address, arguing that the reforms were beginning to deliver economic gains.
