Insider sources have intimated that Chibuike Amaechi, the recently-retired minister of transportation and former governor of Rivers State, would not accept his position as the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council’s special adviser on infrastructure.
Amaechi was recently identified as a member of the newly formed Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) to lead the Tinubu/Shettima ticket in the upcoming election, according to PulseNets.
Back in June 2022, Amaechi and Tinubu competed for the party’s single ticket in Abuja, but the former Lagos Governor and party co-founder prevailed.
The former minister of transportation finished first runner-up in the primary after a hotly contested race.
Amaechi served as the Director-General of the Buhari/Osinbajo Presidential Campaign Council twice, from 2014 to 2015, and from 2018 to 2019. He was also one of the founding members of the coalition that deposed the Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, and its former leader, Goodluck Jonathan.
The politician from Ikwerre, who served as the previous governor of Rivers State, reportedly felt let down by the APC’s flagbearer in more than one way ever since the presidential primary contest, which he lost.
Recall that Amaechi stated that people who voted in the APC presidential primary regretted their choice during the Apostle Eugene Ogu’s 60th birthday celebration at Abundant Life Evangel Mission in Port Harcourt.
Delegates who let money influence their choices during the presidential primaries, according to Amaechi, are now regretting it.
The former Lagos East senator, according to Amaechi, allegedly exploited his considerable riches to influence the outcome of the presidential primaries in his favour.
Additionally, it’s been reported that the previous chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, is extremely outraged and enraged by Tinubu and his guys’ behaviour toward him, particularly their unholy affair with Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State.
A few of Asiwaju’s supporters, including Governor Babagide Sanwo-Olu and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, have visited the Governor in Port Harcourt in addition to Tinubu and Wike’s meetings in various locations in Europe following the presidential primaries of both parties.
There are rumours that Jagaban and his henchmen planned to entice the former PDP presidential candidate to the APC in the hopes that he would use the resources of the state to help the party win the 2023 presidential election. Amaechi reportedly feels undercut as the APC’s leader in Rivers and a pillar of the party nationally.
According to reports, the former Rivers Assembly Speaker feels ignored and sidelined by the party he worked so hard to establish.
He considers it a personal letdown that the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Governor of Rivers State visited his State and met with his political arch-enemy, even going so far as to try to recruit him to the APC.
An insider said that Amaechi may decide against joining the APC campaign because the campaign council was created without consulting him.
When asked if the former governor was thrilled to join the APC campaign council, the source, who asked to remain anonymous, responded, “Elated about what? Are you referring to the person who, along with a select few others, ousted the PDP and Goodluck Jonathan from office in 2015?
“Are you talking about a two-time Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, a two-time Governor of Rivers State, a two-time Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, a two-time Minister of the Federal Republic? How can Amaechi be dancing because of a mere appointment as adviser in a campaign council when he was the Director-General of the Campaign Council that brought President Muhammadu Buhari to power in 2015 and 2019? The question should not be whether Amaechi was elated to be given an appointment by Tinubu, it should be whether Amaechi would accept the appointment?”
When questioned about the prospect of the former minister accepting the position, the source added, “The minister has not spoken yet. But the fact is that he does not feel carried along until this appointment and there’s the possibility that he may not want to commit himself fully because he is a man that doesn’t force himself into where he is not wanted. I won’t speak for him though.”
Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a former spokesman for the disbanded New Peoples Democratic Party, said the following in an interview with PulseNets:
“Amaechi is yet to speak and I have not spoken to him about the list to know his reaction about it. He is yet to direct us on what to do but I am convinced that he will speak if there is any need in that regard. Let us give him some time.”
“[And for me], I don’t have any feelings about the APC Presidential Campaign Council formation.
“Those in charge have done what they feel is the best for the party so we need to give them time to articulate themselves and map out strategies on how to solicit votes from Nigerians. Ours is to pray for them to succeed.”
