2027: I’ll replace indigeneship with citizenship — Amaechi
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By Luminous Jannamike
Former Minister of Transportation and presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Rotimi Amaechi, on Wednesday declared that he would abolish the federal character principle and replace indigeneship with citizenship if elected president in 2027, insisting that Nigerians should be judged by competence and performance rather than ethnicity, region or religion.
The declaration pushed Amaechi into one of Nigeria’s most contentious political debates, with the former Rivers State governor arguing that the country must move away from identity-driven politics and build a system based on merit, fairness and equal citizenship.
Earlier, Amaechi appeared before the ADC Presidential Screening Committee in Abuja.
In a statement made available late on Wednesday to journalists, Amaechi said, “There will be no federal character. A very good Nigerian will be a member of the Federation.
“Federal character is there because the system is unfair. So, it is one way to manage the system.”
He blamed rising insecurity and kidnappings on unemployment and economic hardship, saying many young Nigerians were being driven into crime by a failing system.
Amaechi urged Nigerians to judge presidential aspirants by their records in office rather than ethnic or regional identity.
He said, “Assess us by what we’ve done and reach a conclusion rather than hearing I am from North. I’m from South. I am from East.
“I am not from South, East or West. I am a Nigerian. If I become president, I will not bring indigeneship. There will be citizenship.”
He also criticised politicians who seek support through ethnic and religious appeals.
On whether he would accept to serve as vice-president, Amaechi dismissed the suggestion bluntly.
“I don’t want to be vice,” he said.
Still, the former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly said he would abide by the party’s decision if the ADC eventually settled for a consensus candidate through a process accepted by all aspirants.
“I am a member of the party now. If that’s the party decision, once it is a process that all of participate in,” he said.
Amaechi also expressed confidence that he would scale through the screening exercise, citing his experience in government as proof of his preparedness for the presidency.
“The requirements for governorship are almost same requirements for the presidency,” he said.
On plans for young Nigerians, Amaechi pointed to reforms carried out during his tenure as governor of Rivers State, particularly in education and healthcare.
He said, “I was governor of Rivers State and I rebuilt education to standard such that people were leaving from private schools to government schools.
“We built health infrastructure and employed 400 doctors. We add 200 to make it 600. And then, we pursued free healthcare.”
According to him, the healthcare policy allowed patients to receive treatment while government paid hospitals directly, while primary healthcare centres staffed with doctors and nurses were established across communities.
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