2023 Presidency: Amaechi Woos Ogun State Delegates, Tells Them To Dump Osinbajo And Vote For Him

Ahead of the presidential primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has appealed to delegates from Ogun State to support him.

Amaechi who made the appeal on Monday during a visit to the state where he was hosted by Governor Dapo Abiodun pointed out that he is aware the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo who is also a presidential aspirant of the APC is from Ogun, but urged the people of the state to choose him ahead of Osinbajo.

The Minister said though Osinbajo is a great man and aspirant, he has better experience than the Vice President.

He said of all the aspirants for the APC ticket, he is the only one that can claim he is in it as a Nigerian and not an ethnic or regional representative.

He charged the delegates from Ogun State to vote for him as a friend and beyond the friendship, Amaechi said he has the capacity and experience to lead Nigeria.

“Let us even assume that I’m the worst aspirant, for the sake of friendship, I’m entitled to your votes, you will go there and say for the sake of this our friendship, if he is going to fail, let’s fail with him,” he said.

Further reeling out his credentials, the former Rivers State Governor said he is ready for the debates to prove his mental capability and also has the experience that no other aspirant can lay claim to.

“I’m very experienced, I’m not a Yoruba candidate and I will never be a Yoruba candidate. I’m not an Hausa/Fulani candidate and I will never be an Hausa/Fulani candidate. I’m not an Igbo candidate and I will never be one. I’m a Nigerian candidate,” Amaechi told the delegates.

“I challenge all others who are competing with me to show me the basis that they can claim to be a Nigerian candidate.

“I’m a different Nigerian and I’m one of the true Nigerians and I think all of you seated here are true Nigerians. The problem of Nigeria is not you, it is the elites.

“I’m prepared for debate, I’m prepared to provide solutions.

“No person among all those competing has governed a state where there was insecurity, but I have. By the time I took over the governor of Rivers state, they were kidnapping two-month old children. What did I do first, I didn’t pay ransom. I made a law that if you pay ransom you go for six months imprisonment because where there is no demand, there will be no supply.”

On why he should be chosen above Osinbajo, Amaechi told the delegates that his experience matters, he has the energy, he has good health and would be a bridge between the old and young generations.

“I know that there is a candidate from this state, our Vice President, a man of honour, he is a good candidate, but I think that if you look well, my experience matters.

“I come with experience, I’m 56 years old, I will be 57 in May, so I’m the bridge between the young and the old. I have energy and people have said, no, being energetic is not enough to preside over a state, but you can’t preside over a state in the hospital.

During his visit to Ogun State, Amaechi and his team also visited the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, at his palace in Abeokuta.