With the growing number of presidential aspirants from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Presidential aspirant, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transport, has advised party delegates to vote wisely and not waste their votes in the upcoming presidential primaries.
Addressing delegates in Edo State, the Minister urged them not to be carried away by the bevy of aspirants from the ruling party.
But to stay focused on the goal of voting a credible, experienced and performing aspirant like himself to fly the party flag at the 2023 presidential elections.
He said, “Politicians will come to ask for your votes. But please, as South-South people, politicians, and the good people of Nigeria, don’t waste your votes.
“The problem with politicians is you. They will bring money and say you should vote for them, and nobody will care to ask ‘what was he before now, what is his performance?’ The economy they want to come and manage, how have they performed?
“You can ask me, the Minister for Transport, I’m working hard to make sure that the Lagos-Calabar rail line begins and will come through Benin. I can account for my part.
“So when those in charge of the economy come to you for votes, ask them how they have managed the economy.
“I come with the experience of being a Speaker for eight years, and I managed my colleagues without being impeached.
“First time in the history of Nigeria that a Speaker will serve for eight years without being impeached.
“I was Chairman, Speakers Forum, twice. Do you understand what it means to manage your equals? I was elected Chairman of Governors Forum, twice. If I didn’t manage the Governor’s Forum well, would my colleagues have voted for me?” he asked.
Amaechi also harped on having an electable candidate on the ballot for the APC to win the presidency.
“The electability of a candidate is essential for you; if not, the APC will lose the election.
“For now, I think I’m the most electable. I’m tried, tested and trusted,” Amaechi said.
He added that he has a wealth of experience and history of project delivery, from his time as Governor of Rivers State and now as Minister of Transportation.
“ I have enough pieces of evidence; Model Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Primary Health Care Centres, Hospitals, Roads, 750 megawatts of power in Rivers State.
Children sent overseas to study, 13,200 teachers employed, and other achievements as Governor.
“As Minister for Transportation, I finished the Kaduna-Abuja rail, Lagos-Ibadan is running.
“For those of you saying, ‘what has he done in the South-South?’ There’s a Warri-Itakpe rail line, only two communities are in Kogi, and the rest are in Edo and Delta States.
“We have started the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail, and we will start the Lagos-Calabar rail. So when they say ‘he has done nothing in the South-South,’ are they saying Delta and Edo are not part of the Niger Delta?
So, I have evidence of what my contributions are to APC and Nigeria. I can account for the period I have been in office. Let us rise, vote right and defend our votes.”
The Minister was also at the Palace of the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare 2, who told him that he would have been surprised if he wasn’t running, as he is well-positioned to lead the country.
“If you didn’t come out, we would have been surprised. We have heard you; we have been watching all you do as the Minister of Transportation.
“We commend you for what you have done for the railway lines, but the security agencies need to be involved considering what happened the last time on the Abuja-Kaduna railway line.
“Benin throne is non-partisan; however, we endeavour to follow our ancestors’ directives to guide and pray,” the Oba said.
E/Suzan O.
