Former Minister of Transportation and presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has pledged to transform Nigeria within four years if elected in the 2027 general election.

Amaechi made the promise on Thursday after submitting his nomination forms at the ADC national secretariat in Abuja, where he also criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over the country’s worsening economic conditions.

He said the 2027 election should be decided based on competence, experience, and performance rather than ethnic or regional considerations.

“What Nigerians should do is assess all of us who are running for office based on our records,” he said.

“Let this be a referendum. If you have performed, whoever has outperformed the other, vote for the person.”

The former Rivers State governor argued that his experience in public office makes him best suited for the presidency, citing his tenure as governor and as Minister of Transportation under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The next thing is, who is capable of delivering the votes? Who is capable of beating the incumbent? Who has the experience? I believe I am the most experienced,” he said.

“I am young, I am the most experienced, and I believe I have the capacity… I will, in four years, turn the country around,” he added.

Amaechi, who governed Rivers State from 2007 to 2015, also served as Director-General of Buhari’s 2015 presidential campaign and later oversaw key railway projects, including the Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Ibadan lines, during his tenure as minister.

He, however, noted that Nigerians are currently facing severe economic hardship, blaming policy decisions of the present administration.

“Nigerians should vote for merit, not vote for those who say it is our turn. It is the ‘Emilokan’ mentality that brought us here,” he said.

“There is no market for Christians or Muslims… the market has only one purpose, the naira. Nigerians are suffering,” he added.

Amaechi said he prefers a direct primary for the ADC presidential ticket but would accept a consensus arrangement if it favours him.

“I’m going for primary. If the consensus is me, fine. But if it’s not me, I’m going for primary,” he said.

The ADC aspirant’s declaration comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, as opposition parties continue to position themselves to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).