A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has warned former presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, against underestimating the ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Naijaonpoint reports that Sowunmi, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday, said Amaechi possesses strong political structures and alliances that could make him a formidable contender if he decides to run in the 2027 presidential race.
Sowunmi emphasised that his assessment was based on his experience in managing high-level presidential campaigns within the party, stressing that any emerging political coalition ahead of 2027 is likely to draw support from the PDP as well as from elements of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a bloc associated with former President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Sowunmi, whether such a coalition adopts zoning or throws the contest open, Amaechi could benefit significantly from the internal dynamics, particularly from the CPC wing.
He added that if Amaechi maintains his political ambition and secures the backing of influential figures within the APC, including some former ministers, he could create a major political upset.
He said, “I’ve done campaigns at that level looking for a ticket. I’ve run campaigns for PDP when we’re trying to get presidential ticket. We got it twice. I should know how to read in between the lines. Let me tell you why I say those who underestimate Rotimi Amaechi have a problem. That party will be made up of those who are coming from PDP and some of the elements that are coming from the CPC, factor of Muhammadu Buhari and APC.
“And then if they say they want to throw it open, where do they know that the CPC end of it will go. If they say they want to zone it, where do they know they will go. If Rotimi doesn’t back down, I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t pull an offset.
“If the people that have been ministers together with Rotimi, the Pantami’s of this world, the El-Rufai of this world, if they insist that they want to make a stake. If you underrate Rotimi, it’s at their own peril.”