Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, says he has refrained from responding to attacks from supporters of Peter Obi to preserve unity within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Speaking to party supporters in Lagos on Friday, Amaechi said his camp has deliberately avoided engaging in verbal exchanges with other aspirants in the party.
“Obi’s people are abusing me, but we don’t reply. It’s not because we can’t respond,” he said.
“The reason is that we want peace. We know we are one party.”
The former Rivers governor said internal attacks among supporters of different aspirants could weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
He urged members to focus on defeating President Bola Tinubu rather than targeting one another.
“If you cause this kind of friction, it will be difficult to come together to defeat Tinubu,” he said.
He added that his team has been instructed not to attack any member of the party or the president.
“My team is under instruction — don’t abuse anybody in ADC. Even the president, don’t abuse him. Just present the facts,” he said.
Amaechi said aspirants should allow party members to make their choices during the primaries without hostility.
“On the day of the primary, go and vote for your candidate. When your candidate wins, bring everybody together,” he said.
He warned that hostility among supporters could affect post-primary unity.
“No matter how much of a presidential aspirant I am, I am influenced by my supporters,” he said.
Amaechi said building consensus after the primaries will be key to mounting a strong challenge in 2027.
