Fact-Check: Claim That Amaechi Rejected Atiku’s VP Nomination Is Fabricated

Claim: Social media users claim that Rotimi Amaechi denied agreeing to be Atiku Abubakar’s running mate.

Verdict: False. Available evidence shows that neither Rotimi Amaechi nor the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced that he rejected the party’s vice-presidential nomination. The claim is not supported by credible evidence.

Full Story

A social media post claims that former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, denied agreeing to serve as the running mate to former vice president Atiku Abubakar. According to the post, Amaechi threatened legal action against the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, and others for allegedly falsely claiming he had accepted the position. The post further alleges that Amaechi said he would never deputise Atiku because the former vice president was “unelectable”.

The claim surfaced barely a week after the ADC announced Amaechi as Atiku’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election. Amaechi had emerged as the runner-up to Atiku during the party’s presidential primary.

Following the primary election, Amaechi publicly rejected the outcome, alleging widespread irregularities, including vote-buying, electoral manipulation, and the disenfranchisement of more than 80 percent of party members.

About 40 hours before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was scheduled to release access codes for political parties to upload their candidates’ details for the 2027 elections, a social media claim alleging that Amaechi had rejected the vice-presidential nomination began circulating widely.

See screenshot below.

At the time of this fact-check, the post had attracted more than 15,800 views and generated mixed reactions. While some users accepted the claim as genuine, others dismissed it as fake news intended to undermine the opposition coalition.

Given the potential implications of the claim on the evolving political process, NDRFactCheck examined its authenticity.

Verification

NDRFactCheck reviewed publicly available records and official statements relating to the claim.

On June 16, several media organisations reported an official statement from the ADC announcing Rotimi Amaechi as the party’s vice-presidential candidate following consultations with party leaders, coalition partners, youth and women groups, and representatives from the country’s geopolitical zones.

Additionally, on June 24, 2026, the same day the social media claim gained traction, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Bolaji Abdullahi, stated during an interview on Trust TV, monitored by BusinessDay, that Amaechi remained the party’s vice-presidential candidate. He also clarified that the former minister had not rejected the nomination.

Similarly, Atiku Abubakar’s media aide, Abdulrasheed Shehu, dismissed the viral claim, stating:

“Atiku/Amaechi is settled. His Excellency is on a short business trip. Once he returns, Amaechi will be officially unveiled in a few days as the VP candidate. Stop posting fake news.”

NDRFactCheck found no credible statement from Rotimi Amaechi denying that he accepted the ADC’s vice-presidential nomination or threatening legal action over the matter.

Verdict

False. The claim that Rotimi Amaechi denied agreeing to be Atiku Abubakar’s running mate is not supported by credible evidence. Official statements from the ADC and Atiku Abubakar’s camp affirm that Amaechi remains the party’s vice-presidential candidate, and there is no verified record of him rejecting the nomination.

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