One of the presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi for the first time yesterday spoke about the process that led to the emergence of his party’s presidential candidate, saying delegates who were induced with money at the special convention held in Abuja, to vote a certain candidate are now regretting their actions.
Amaechi who spoke during the 60th birthday of the General Overseer of Abundant Life Evangelical Mission (ALEM), Mr. Eugene Ogu, in Port Harcourt, said some of the delegates who collected money at the party’s presidential primary held in Abuja, are now regretting that they made mistake in their decision.
“Those who voted at the APC primary, who are they? The ordinary Nigerians. The small money they got, solved their immediate problems. Now, oh we made a mistake or we didn’t make a mistake, we are hearing different things.
“If Nigeria problems is to be solved, the ordinary Nigerians must be at the forefront. So if you are praying for us, pray for the leadership of the country but also pray that the ordinary Nigerians should choose the right president to govern the country.”
He stressed that giving out free money to woo people into supporting one’s political ambition was not the solution to the many problems facing Nigeria as a nation.
Amaechi, who was a former Governor of Rivers State pleaded with the clerics to continue to pray for the ordinary Nigerians to stand against any form of manipulation by politicians seeking for electoral position and vote in a credible president who would lead the country rightly.
The former Transport Minister regretted that ordinary Nigerians prefer the immediate money they get than rejecting such offer and seeking for a leader that would change the situation of the country for good.
Amaechi said: “I am the kind of person who do not give out that kind of money. This is because I believe that is not the solution to Nigeria’s problems by giving money. I give you N10 million now, when it finishes what happens?
“The solution to Nigeria problems is that all of you must rise. When I was governor, they said Amaechi was a wicked man, he does not give out money, Wike gives them money in millions and was giving contract. They were calling me wicked governor till I left government, now what am I, A saint?
“People are now saying, when Amaechi was there he tackled insecurity. Then I was not sleeping in my house. If you kidnap, I will come to the bush to look for you. Nothing like relying on just the security agencies, I will follow them inside the bush and recover the kidnapped victim. Now nobody cares, you can be kidnapped any time.”
Speaking further, the former minister said: “I thank Apostle Ogu and Rev. Uma Okpai. I am grateful to you and think you people needs to pray the more for this country. The prayer you should pray is not just that God should save the country, that God should save the ordinary Nigeria because they are the problem.”
Commenting on the purported bishops that recently attended the unveiling of the APC’s vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima in Abuja, Amaechi said, “Those bishops you saw, they may not be bishops but they are Christians. Pray for the ordinary Nigerians. May God make you vote for the right candidate that will change the situation in the country”.
