Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has strongly dismissed reports linking him to a potential vice-presidential slot alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 elections.

Amaechi emphasized that he is focused on his own presidential ambition and “will not serve as a running mate to anyone.”

The clarification comes in response to remarks by Atiku ally Dele Momodu, who suggested in an interview with Punch that Amaechi could be considered as a running mate if Peter Obi declines the offer.

Momodu had described Amaechi as a significant political player and credited him as a key figure in President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 election victory.

Through his media aide, David Iyofor, Amaechi rejected any talk of collaboration aimed at positioning him as a vice-presidential candidate.

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

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

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

This is not the first time Amaechi has publicly affirmed his presidential ambition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In August, he vowed not to step down for any aspirant during the party’s primary, stressing that the people should decide the party’s flagbearer.

Earlier, in July, he reiterated his commitment to power rotation and political stability, stating he would even serve as a one-term president if elected under the ADC.

“If not for the coalition agreement, the answer to whether I’ll run (as president) would have been an outright yes,” he said.

“But what did we agree? Everyone should keep aside their ambition. Let’s first get the platform. Let’s build it before talking about the presidency.”

Amaechi had previously contested the 2022 APC presidential primary, finishing second behind President Bola Tinubu, who ultimately secured the party’s ticket.