According to Opera News, African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi has criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) over what he described as its failure to focus on explaining its plans and achievements to Nigerians during political campaigns.
Amaechi made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television, where he discussed the ADC’s campaign approach and questioned the strategy adopted by the ruling party. He argued that political campaigns should provide citizens with clear answers about economic challenges, infrastructure and other issues affecting their daily lives rather than concentrating on personal attacks against opposition politicians.
Explaining the ADC’s approach, the former Rivers State governor said the party was interested in understanding the difficulties facing ordinary Nigerians. He cited a campaign journey from Sokoto to Kebbi, explaining that the team wanted to assess the condition of roads and observe the challenges experienced by residents along the route.
According to Amaechi, the campaign team visited several communities, including Arugungu, where they encountered residents expressing frustration about their living conditions. He maintained that such experiences should form an important part of political discussions because they reveal the problems citizens expect political leaders to address.
He contrasted this approach with what he described as the APC’s campaign strategy, accusing the ruling party of concentrating on criticism directed at him instead of presenting a detailed account of its performance in government.
To explain his concerns, Amaechi recalled an incident involving former President Muhammadu Buhari during a campaign journey to Port Harcourt. He said he was travelling with Buhari on the presidential aircraft when the former president came across a report about a goat seller who blamed poor sales of Sallah goats on his administration.
Amaechi recalled that Buhari responded with a humorous remark, suggesting that people sometimes blamed the government even for personal difficulties unrelated to its responsibilities.
Recounting the conversation, Amaechi said, “The day we were going to Port-Harcourt for campaign, I was with him in his plane, and then he read where one goat seller said the reason why the Sallah goats, they were not able to sell enough was because of Buhari. And he said, Amaechi, even people who can’t impregnate their wives will say it’s Buhari that caused it.”
The ADC candidate used the recollection to draw a comparison with what he believes is happening in the current political environment. He suggested that making opposition figures the centre of campaign discussions allows the ruling party to avoid addressing questions about its record and responsibilities.
His comments have brought attention to the competing campaign strategies of the APC and ADC, particularly the importance of economic conditions, infrastructure and government accountability in political debates. Amaechi’s argument is that Nigerians deserve campaigns centred on practical solutions to their problems rather than exchanges dominated by criticism of individual politicians.
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