Nigerians, especially in the southern part of this country & in the Diaspora, have continued to be baffled & express shock at the the decision of the Nigeria’s Transport Minister, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, to desperately campaign as an “lboman” for the presidency of this country. People a watching with dismay, his series of videos which are airing mainly in the north & are laughing at the Ubima, Rivers State, born Politician for his sudden reform to be an Iboman, in the hope of being GIVEN the office as the first lgbo democratically, elected President of Nigeria. Wonders, they say, shall never end.
That’s infact a tall funny dream & height of self deceit or denial for, Rotimi Amaechi, who has not been able to win any election for his party, the APC, since he left office, after 8 years as governor of Rivers state. Gov Nyesom Wike, who took over from him as governor, has beaten him twice in the governorship elections. Even as an incumbent in 2015, the man who dreams to be the President of Nigeria, could not install or cause to be elected, his hand picked successor.
It is important to state here that Rotimi Amaechi was part of the conspiracy to oust former President Jonathan, his fellow South-south politician from power. He was a known major financier of the current President. He has not & may not be forgiven by the people of his home state, Rivers, which is now governed by one of the strongest politicians in this country today, Nyesom Wike. Gov Wike is said to have been the brain behind Amaechi’s two-time success as governor, including the one that was given by the Supreme Court. You, of course, dare Wike down there at your peril. Rotimi Amaechi could not, both as an incumbent governor in 2015 & even as a powerful federal Minister in 2019, when he fought Gov Wike with the open or tacit support of the Nigerian Army, in full force.
To compound Rotimi’s problem is the fact that the entire South-south states or zone are in the firm hands of PDP governors. That may not have mattered if he was a good man or did not fight to remove a South-south President of Nigeria from power
Igbos are, by no means, discriminatory or racially profile their kit & kin in other states or zones of this country, not at all. They share so much in common; names culture & language are, in most cases, the same. But this does not extend the likes of Rotimi, who never wanted to have anything to do with the lgbos, as a people, & wasted no time at any opportunity he had to tell them that, even before their leaders. He once advised lgbos at a ceremony in Awka, Anambra state, to “apologize to Buhari for voting against him in 2015”. Chief Nnia Nwodo, then Ohaneze President, who was present at the occasion, wasted no time in adequately responding to him like the child he was.
If the Presidency of this country is deservedly coming to the lgbos or to someone of lgbo extraction, for the first time, it has to be an lgbo of the Southeast zone, which is the only major tribe or zone left to have a shot. Period.
From whichever way or angle anyone decides to look at it, democracy is about number or better still in politics where the say “political strength is in the number of people who are registered to vote in elections”. Whether it is in the number of registered voters, history/antecedent in politics of Nigeria, sound minds, tested & proven intellectuals, record setting achievers in leadership positions or what have you, lgbos of the Southeast have them all. Igbo brothers & sisters in the other zones will definitely have their turns at some point, with our support, but that will be determined by the level of support they are able to give lgbos who are in the Southeast in 2023.
APC as a political party in power, have excellent good, courageous, sell-able, unprecedented record setting achievers in the lgbo men & women in their midst, as party members. People who are loved & can win elections. In lgboland today, the people know who, among-st them, can be President of Nigeria, based on the merit of what they have selflessly done or doing for the people, capacity to lead & ability to first & foremost unite the country by spreading developments to every part of the country & giving people sense of belonging. That’s the stuff the new lgbo generation are made of.
To launch a presidential campaign on a mono subject of rail lines/trains running in the northern part of the country when there’s none in his South-south zone or Southeast, where he now claims, was implicit that Rotimi believes he can be given the Presidency by only the north.
It is impossible & will be a drag on the party’s presidential ticket to give their ticket to another South south politician, who has zero followership or has not won any election in his home state, Rivers since 2015, not loved by his people & is neither an lgbo from the Southeast zone nor will have their support. Period!
Okwadike
