Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi/Babajide Sanwo-Olu |
The
Minister of Transportation and Presidential hopeful of the All Progressive
Congress (APC), Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has urged party members in
Lagos State to support his presidential aspiration by voting for him in the
party's primary slated for May.
Chief
Amaechi who stressed the need for APC to present a sellable candidate in the
2023 presidential elections, said he represents the ideal candidate first as
the youngest with much energy and a public service record that towered him
above other contenders. The presidential aspirant
spoke during a courtesy call on the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu
at Government House, Marina Lagos on Thursday.
Chief
Amaechi while speaking at the occasion, said it was a difficult decision he had
to take to contest the 2023 presidential election knowing fully that the
party's national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in the race."It is a
difficult thing to contest with our leader, he is our leader and l know it is
really a difficult decision that you have to take. He is eminently qualified to
contest but I'm more qualified than him.
"I'm
the bridge between the old and the young. I understand the language of young
people. And if we consider the reality of our current security situation, I'm
the only one with experience in handling difficult security situations having
served as governor at a time when kidnapping and violent crime was high in
Rivers. He urged the Lagos governor
to take what he described as a difficult decision to support him as party's
choice and Nigeria choice.
"l
come with experience of having served as speaker, l come with experience of
having served as governor, l come with experience of having served as minister.
I was chairman of governors and l also served as director general in the
presidential campaign to deliver victory for our party APC. "I have tremendous respect for our leader but we have to
make the hard choice. I always say there is no second position in this contest,
the party must make a winning choice. It is a hard decision but it is a
decision that is doable," Chief Amaechi told the governor.
Responding,
Mr Sanwo-Olu noted that the minister is eminently qualified going by his record
of experience. "I have listened and l have listened very well. He said it was important for the party to make good choices in
the next election. "I'm a direct beneficiary of our leader, Asiwaju. For
those of us in Lagos, he is our rallying point, we will continue to do the best
for the country.
Earlier,
Chief Amaechi met with the Lagos State party executive council members at
Ikeja, Lagos. According to the minister,
there is a temptation for the Lagos delegates to want to vote for APC National
Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he acknowledged as eminently qualified
to contest.
He
said that beyond the sentiment of being a former governor and party leader,
"l know I'm a better qualified candidate and a Nigeria candidate", he
added. The minister said as a
former speaker, governor and serving minister, he possesses more experiences
that put him ahead of other contenders.
He
cited examples of the economic reforms in the country, which the rail lines
contributed greatly, especially in areas of economic diversification,
employment opportunities and income generation in Lagos state. Others he
mentioned are decongestion of ports and construction of new ports in parts of
the country with enhanced economic values. He was
particularly elated about the Ebutte Meta Railway station in Lagos which he
described as the most iconic of all.
"This
is why I'm different, I'm a pan-Nigerian candidate, he said. The Chairman of Lagos State APC, Cornelius Ojelabi acknowledged
the role Chief Amaechi played in the events leading to the party's victory in
2015, describing him as courageous. Hon.
Ojelabi, however, said that the role played by Lagos State which he said led to
the emergence of a progressive government at the federal for the first was what
gave the party its ultimate victory. He also
stressed the need for the party leaders to come together in the manner they did
that led to the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.
"You
are welcome to our party secretariat. You are our party member. And as for the
reason for your visit which you just told us, there is a way we do our things
in Lagos, we have a leadership and we will convey your message to the
leadership," Ojelabi added.
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