PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has appealed to party stakeholders, supporters and loyalists to exercise patience and understanding with the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, saying the former Rivers State governor is fully engaged in strategic consultations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Eze, in a statement issued on Friday, said the appeal became necessary following what he described as an overwhelming influx of requests from party members and supporters seeking meetings, telephone conversations and appointments with Amaechi.
According to him, the ADC vice-presidential candidate is currently immersed in high-level political engagements aimed at laying a solid foundation for the party’s campaign and positioning the Atiku Abubakar-Chibuike Amaechi ticket for victory in the 2027 presidential election.
“I have been inundated with numerous text messages and telephone calls from people requesting meetings with the ADC Vice-Presidential candidate, Rt. Hon. Barr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi,” Eze said.
He urged party faithful not to misconstrue Amaechi’s inability to respond promptly to calls and messages as a sign of indifference or neglect.
“I wish to plead that we give him a little respite as he is under tremendous pressure putting structures in place to ensure that our journey to Aso Rock in 2027 is successful.
“Barr. Amaechi currently works virtually round the clock and barely gets about two hours of sleep daily. Even finding time to eat has become a challenge because of the enormous responsibilities before him,” he stated.
Eze explained that Amaechi’s demanding schedule includes strategic consultations with key political stakeholders across the country, including the ADC presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as the party intensifies preparations for the 2027 polls.
He described the ongoing consultations as critical to building a formidable political platform capable of providing what he called “credible leadership” for Nigeria.
“The intense schedule is part of deliberate efforts to lay a solid foundation for a successful outing in the 2027 general elections,” he added.
The former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) said Amaechi remained deeply committed to the party’s objective of offering Nigerians an alternative political direction, insisting that the former Minister of Transportation appreciates the goodwill and support he continues to receive from party members and supporters across the country.
“I reiterate with every sense of humility and patriotism that our vice-presidential candidate’s silence should never be mistaken for neglect.
“He remains fully aware of the messages, calls and expressions of support from Nigerians and has assured that he will respond to all outstanding requests as soon as his schedule permits,” Eze said.
On the composition of the party’s presidential campaign structure, Eze urged party members not to be preoccupied with appointments, stressing that the campaign was a national project that would draw competent individuals from across the federation.
He said membership of the campaign team would be based on broad consultations with stakeholders from all states and guided by merit rather than political patronage.
“This is a national movement and not a state-based political project. The campaign structure will reflect the collective input of stakeholders across the country and appointments will be made strictly on merit,” he stated.
Eze, however, encouraged party members and supporters not to wait for formal appointments before contributing to the campaign, urging them instead to begin grassroots mobilisation in their respective communities.
According to him, the responsibility of achieving electoral victory in 2027 rests with every supporter of the movement and cannot be left to the presidential and vice-presidential candidates alone.
“We urge every Nigerian who believes in this movement to consider himself or herself an active member of the campaign. There is no need to wait for an official appointment before contributing to the success of this project,” he said.
He called on supporters to establish local mobilisation teams, engage voters at the grassroots and sustain efforts to build support for the party ahead of the elections.
Describing the 2027 presidential contest as a defining moment for Nigeria’s democracy, Eze said the collective commitment of patriotic Nigerians would determine the outcome of the election.
While expressing appreciation for the continued support and understanding shown by party members and supporters, he assured them that Amaechi would, at the appropriate time, make himself available for broader engagements with Nigerians as the campaign gathers momentum.
