Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said he “technically left” the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari because his expectations from the government were not met.
Amaechi, who served as Minister of Transportation under Buhari from 2015 to 2022, made the remark while reflecting on his political career and his experience in government.
The former Rivers State governor has previously spoken about his decision to support Buhari in the 2015 presidential election and his subsequent role in the administration.
His latest comments have renewed attention on his relationship with the former president and the expectations he had when he joined the Federal Government.
Amaechi was appointed Minister of Transportation by Buhari in November 2015 and remained in the position until May 2022, when he resigned to pursue his presidential ambition under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
During his tenure, he was closely associated with several major railway projects, including the development of the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna rail corridors.
He also became one of the prominent political figures within Buhari's administration and played a significant role in the APC's political activities.
However, Amaechi has on several occasions expressed disagreements with aspects of government policy and governance.
In a 2025 public lecture, for instance, he criticised the way the removal of fuel subsidy was implemented under President Bola Tinubu, saying that although he would also have removed the subsidy if he were president, he would have taken steps to create jobs and cushion the impact before doing so.
Amaechi was one of the major political figures who campaigned for Buhari ahead of the 2015 election.
He had earlier explained that his opposition to former President Goodluck Jonathan was influenced by disagreements with Jonathan's leadership style.
In a 2025 speech, Amaechi recalled his role in mobilising political opposition to Jonathan, saying he believed the former president's leadership style did not meet his expectations.
Amaechi later became one of the APC figures who sought the party's presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 election but lost the primary to Bola Tinubu.
His latest reflection on the Buhari years adds another dimension to his account of his time within the administration.
According to Amaechi, his decision to distance himself from the Buhari government was connected to the gap between what he expected when he joined the administration and what eventually happened.
His comment suggests that his continued participation in government was affected by his assessment that some of the expectations that accompanied his support for Buhari had not been fulfilled.
Amaechi has remained active in Nigerian political discourse since leaving office, frequently commenting on governance, the economy, political leadership and the state of opposition politics.
His criticism of successive administrations has included both policies of the Buhari government he once served and policies introduced by the current administration.
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