Amaechi says he will campaign for Tinubu if petrol price falls to ₦600

Former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi said he would withdraw from the 2027 race and campaign for President Bola Tinubu if petrol or fuel prices fell to ₦600 per litre.

Amaechi, who is running on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket as a vice-presidential candidate according to Tribune, made the remark during an interview. Tribune reported he spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he criticised the Tinubu administration over the country’s rising cost of living and argued the removal of the fuel subsidy without adequate cushioning measures had worsened hardship.

Vanguard reported Amaechi challenged President Tinubu to show that Nigerians were experiencing the economic improvements the government has promised, saying a substantial fall in fuel costs would be one such proof.

What he said and where

• All three outlets reported Amaechi’s conditional pledge: he would campaign for Tinubu if petrol or fuel prices dropped to ₦600 per litre.
• Tribune specifically places the comments on Channels Television’s Politics Today and links them to his critique of subsidy removal and cost-of-living pressures.
• Vanguard described the remark as part of Amaechi’s challenge to the President’s claims about economic progress.

Why it matters

Fuel prices are central to public debate in Nigeria because changes affect transportation costs, inflation and household budgets. Amaechi’s statement ties his political positioning to a concrete economic indicator and reframes a policy demand as a test of the administration’s performance. By linking potential political cooperation to a sharp reduction in fuel prices, the remark also signals how economic factors could influence alliances and campaigning ahead of the 2027 contests.

Political context

Amaechi is a former governor of Rivers State; Tribune identified him as the ADC vice-presidential candidate. His comments add to ongoing criticism from opposition figures who say the removal of the fuel subsidy has intensified economic hardship. The three reports present his statement as a challenge to President Tinubu to demonstrate that Nigerians have begun to feel economic improvement since subsidy removal.

What the reports do not say

None of the sources provided a timeline for when the petrol price would have to reach ₦600 for Amaechi to act, nor did they report an immediate response from President Tinubu or his administration to the statement. The outlets also did not present independent analysis of whether a fall to ₦600 per litre is feasible under current market conditions or government policy.

Amaechi’s remark is likely to be debated in the coming weeks as parties and candidates position themselves for the 2027 elections and as Nigerians continue to assess the economic impact of fuel policy changes.