Amaechi Says Jonathan, Wife Forced Him Out of PDP

Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has said he was forced out of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife Patience Jonathan, during the political crisis that rocked Rivers State.

Amaechi made the claim on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. 

The former minister of Transportation, now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), also said he would support former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar if he becomes the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

Amaechi left the PDP in 2013 after he was suspended over alleged anti-party activities. He later became a leading figure in the breakaway New PDP bloc that joined the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2015 elections. 

Jonathan subsequently lost his re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari, whose victory Amaechi helped secure.

Speaking on the circumstances of his exit, Amaechi said the former president and his wife took control of the PDP structure in Rivers State and pushed him out of the party. He added that a similar situation later played out in the APC.

He said he would not remain silent in the face of injustice, noting that political opponents often try to sideline him whenever he speaks out.

“I was literally chased out of the PDP. The president, Goodluck and his wife, took over the political structure in Rivers state and forced me out. The same thing happened in APC,” he said.

“I will never keep quiet in the face of injustice. When I speak up, they begin to plan to make me irrelevant.”

On the 2027 presidential race, Amaechi rejected calls for a consensus candidate within the ADC, insisting that all aspirants should contest in transparent primaries, adding that he would back Atiku if he wins the primaries fairly.

Amaechi described the former vice-president as qualified to seek the presidency and said every eligible Nigerian has the constitutional right to contest. 

“Of course, if Atiku wins, I will support him. But beyond him winning, it has to be through primaries,” he said.

He also dismissed the debate over zoning, arguing that competence should be the key factor in choosing a leader rather than regional considerations.

The former governor, who contested the APC presidential ticket in 2023 and finished second to President Bola Tinubu, said Nigerians are looking for a leader capable of addressing economic hardship and insecurity.