A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has dismissed claims by President Bola Tinubu’s aide, Temitope Ajayi, that Tinubu was the mastermind behind Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 presidential victory. Eze argued that it was former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi who played the pivotal role in Buhari’s emergence as APC’s presidential candidate and his subsequent election as president.
According to Eze, Amaechi was the Director-General of Buhari’s 2015 campaign and was instrumental in mobilizing support and raising funds that secured Buhari’s primary nomination and ultimately the general election. He insisted that Ajayi’s narrative is a falsehood and that Tinubu only became supportive after Amaechi had secured Buhari’s candidacy.
Eze further claimed that Tinubu initially opposed Buhari’s candidacy unless he was picked as running mate, a position Amaechi and others resisted due to the risk of a Muslim-Muslim ticket at the time.
This led to the selection of Yemi Osinbajo as Vice President, which Eze says caused lasting friction between Tinubu and Amaechi. He also noted Tinubu’s deliberate sidelining of Amaechi from key government appointments despite his contributions. The statement underscores ongoing political rivalry within the APC and revisits the debates about credit for Buhari’s rise to power.
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