Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has dismissed suggestions linking him to a possible vice-presidential ticket with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Amaechi said he is solely focused on pursuing his own presidential ambition and will not accept the role of a running mate to anyone.

His clarification followed remarks by Atiku’s ally, Dele Momodu, who recently hinted that the former Vice President might consider Amaechi as a potential running mate if Labour Party’s Peter Obi declines to join forces with him. Momodu, in an interview, commended Amaechi’s political strength, describing him as a major contributor to President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 electoral victory.

Responding on Sunday through his media aide, David Iyofor, Amaechi rejected any discussions that suggest he is being considered for a vice-presidential slot. Iyofor said Amaechi believes the 2027 presidency should be zoned to the South and is therefore pursuing the ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“Amaechi is not seeking to be a running mate to anybody. He does not intend to be a presidential running mate to anybody and will not,” Iyofor said.

“Amaechi is not aware of, and will not be part of, any talks to make him a running mate. For emphasis, Amaechi is running to be President of Nigeria and not to be a running mate to anybody.

“Politicians are kindly advised to leave Amaechi’s name out of any discussion for presidential running mate,” he added.

This is not the first time Amaechi has publicly reiterated his intention to contest the ADC presidential ticket. In August, he vowed not to step down for any aspirant in the party’s primary, stressing that delegates must freely choose the party’s flagbearer. Earlier in July, he also expressed willingness to serve as a one-term president to promote power rotation and political stability if elected on the party’s platform.

“If not for the coalition agreement, the answer to whether I’ll run for president would have been an outright yes,” he said at the time. “But what did we agree? Everyone should set aside their ambition first. Let’s build the platform before talking about the presidency.”

Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor, previously contested the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2022, finishing second behind President Bola Tinubu, who eventually emerged as the party’s flagbearer.