The immediate-past Minister of Transportation and presidential aspirant under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has said that a fellow aspirant and Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, should withdraw his presidential ambition for him because he has more experience than the governor.
Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, stated this when he visited Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, to woo delegates ahead of the presidential primary election of the APC.
He was accompanied on the visit by a former Chief of Army Staff and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin Republic, Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd).
Speaking at the Government House in Lokoja, Amaechi called on the delegates to prevail on Governor Bello to step down his ambition for elderly people like him.
He said though Bello was qualified to contest for the presidency, he’s still young and should make way for him to become the party’s flag bearer.
“This is the 28th state I will be visiting. I can no longer be called one of the APC aspirants because I have become the leading aspirant,” he said.
Amaechi further said that he deserved the ticket ahead of other aspirants.
“I was Speaker at the age of 34, Governor at the age of 42, and a Minister in my early 50s. I have acquired the needed experiences to lead Nigeria.
“I am a former chairman of Speakers Forum, two-term chairman of Governors Forum, coupled with my interaction as DG of Presidential Campaign, I have what it takes to lead a country like ours,” he said.
Amaechi noted that even though he was aware that Governor Bello is a contestant, he as an older aspirant with more experience should be given the chance to lead so that he will provide him with the needed experience in governance.
“I am aware that His Excellency is also a contestant, but I am the only leading contestant, older with more experience and I want to inform him that I will provide him with the necessary experience he needs to govern when the time comes,” he added.
Reasponding, the deputy governor of Kogi State, Edward Onoja, who received the presidential aspirant on behalf of the governor, urged Amaechi to visit the governor and deliberate with him, saying only Governor Bello can tell the delegates the direction to follow.
He stated that the state remained an APC stronghold, assuring that they will deliver the State for the party in the next year’s general election the way they did in 2015 and 2019 general elections. CONTINUE READING…
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