Amaechi To Edo Stakeholders: ADC Government Will Build Gelegele Seaport With $500m, Just Like We Built Lekki

Former Minister of Transportation and Vice-Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has assured Edo stakeholders that an ADC government will build the Gelegele Seaport with $500 million, just like the Buhari administration built the Lekki Deep Seaport.

Amaechi gave the assurance on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at an ADC stakeholders’ meeting in Edo State, while responding to a question on whether an ADC government would develop the Gelegele Seaport to the standard of the Lekki Deep Seaport.

The former Rivers State governor said the construction of several deep seaports was approved under former President Muhammadu Buhari, including the Lekki Deep Seaport, which he said he built from scratch to completion.

“I built Lekki Deep Seaport from scratch to finish. I finished it completely, but I had resigned to contest for the office of the president, that’s why Sanwo-Olu got Buhari to come and commission it,” Amaechi said.

He accused President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of taking credit for the project.

“And when they were commissioning, Sanwo-Olu and others including Tinubu were claiming that they built it. None of them visited it from scratch,” he said.

Amaechi explained that although Buhari approved the construction of the Lekki port, the idea originated under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

” Buhari approved the construction of that seaport, but it was essentially an Obasanjo’s idea, even though it was built by Buhari,” he said.

He disclosed that the Buhari administration also approved deep seaport projects in Bonny, Akwa Ibom and Warri, but funding challenges prevented some from taking off. He noted that the proposed Bonny Deep Seaport was designed to have a depth of 18 metres, while the Akwa Ibom location had a natural depth of 17 to 18 metres, and the Warri seaport was approved to facilitate transportation of iron ore from northern Nigeria.

Amaechi said an ADC government would revive all the proposed projects.

“We didn’t quite raise all the money to construct them. Will ADC government do anything? Yes, we will ensure that all those seaports are constructed. They are not too expensive,” he said.

According to him, an investment of between $400 million and $500 million could kick-start construction of the proposed seaports, with expansion to follow later.

He specifically assured Edo stakeholders that Gelegele will be prioritized.

“When ADC government wins, I, as a vice president, will put it on the table for the president to approve,” Amaechi said.