A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and member of the party's Legacy Media Team, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has strongly rejected claims that President Bola Tinubu was the principal force behind former President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 electoral victory.

Reacting to a recent statement by Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Eze described the claim as “a false narrative” and credited former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as the key figure who rescued Buhari’s campaign and ensured his emergence as APC flagbearer and eventual president.

 “Ajayi’s insinuation is a fairy tale, a figment of his infantile imagination... Amaechi remains an undisputed factor in Buhari’s emergence and victory,” Eze said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ajayi had earlier asserted via social media that Tinubu’s intervention and mobilization of APC governors and South West delegates were decisive in helping Buhari clinch the party's presidential ticket in 2014.

But Eze countered this narrative, stressing that Amaechi, as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign, not only raised crucial campaign funds but also rallied critical support at a point when Buhari was reportedly close to losing the primaries.

He also claimed that Tinubu attempted to force himself onto the ticket as Buhari’s running mate in 2015 and was only blocked by Amaechi and others, who opposed a Muslim-Muslim ticket due to Nigeria’s religious sensitivities. This, Eze says, led to the nomination of Yemi Osinbajo and sowed long-term discord between Tinubu and Amaechi.

 “Since then, Tinubu has never forgiven Amaechi and has worked to politically sideline him,” Eze alleged.

The APC chieftain also accused Tinubu of preventing Amaechi from being appointed as Chief of Staff or Secretary to the Government of the Federation under Buhari, positions he claimed were rightfully due to the former minister after his role in the 2015 election.

Eze concluded by referencing past praise from Tinubu himself, who once reportedly described Amaechi as “the General of the Revolution” and “not a chicken but an Eagle.”

This internal rift underscores growing tensions within the ruling party as figures jostle over legacy, credit, and political influence ahead of 2027.