The former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, is reportedly aggrieved over some decisions taken by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The immediate past Minister of Transportation may reject his appointment as the Special Adviser on Infrastructure of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.
Recall that Amaechi was one of the top contenders for APC’s presidential ticket in June 2022, but the former governor came second in the polls to fall behind Tinubu.
Amaechi has not been proactive after the conduct of the party’s national convention and presidential primaries which produced Tinubu as APC’s presidential flagbearer.
However, Amaechi was recently listed as a member of the constituted Presidential Campaign Council( PCC) to pilot the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for the forthcoming election.
Sources, however, in the know have told newsmen that the former minister may reject the appointment as he felt let down by Tinubu.
The insider who pleaded not to be mentioned in the print told Daily Post that Amaechi was a two-time Director-General of the Buhari/Osinbajo Presidential Campaign Council in 2014-2015 and 2018-2019 and one of the pillars of the merger that saw the dethronement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to the feelers from the camp of the former Rivers State Governor, the APC’s presidential flagbearer has offended Amaechi in more than one way since after the presidential primary which he lost.
Also according to the insider, the former Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) is hugely offended and sad over the attitude of Tinubu and his loyalists towards him, especially their unholy romance with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
Tinubu recently meet with Wike in Europe. Not only that, his loyalists, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila have visited the PDP Governor in Port Harcourt.
Speculations are that Tinubu and his proteges were planning to lure the former presidential aspirant to the APC, believing he would deploy the state’s resources to help them win the 2023 presidential election.
That, according to the insider, was an offence to Amaechi who feels he is being undermined as the leader of the APC in Rivers and a pillar of the party, nationally.
The former Rivers Assembly Speaker is reportedly feeling he has been sidelined and disregarded by the party he worked hard to build.
He feels it was a let down to him personally for the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Governor of Lagos to visit his State and have meetings with his political arch-enemy, to the extent of trying to bring him onboard the APC.
Another major reason Amaechi may reject Tinubu’s appointment, according to the insider, is that the APC chieftain was not consulted before the campaign council was formed.
Asked if the former Governor was elated to be appointed as a member of the APC campaign council, the source responded; “Elated over what? Are You talking about someone who with the help of very few others removed the PDP and Goodluck Jonathan from power in 2015?
“Are you talking about a two-time Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, a two-time Governor of Rivers State, a two-time Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, a two-time Minister of the Federal Republic? How can Amaechi be dancing because of a mere appointment as an adviser in a campaign council when he was the Director-General of the Campaign Council that brought President Muhammadu Buhari to power in 2015 and 2019? The question should not be whether Amaechi was elated to be given an appointment by Tinubu, it should be whether Amaechi would accept the appointment?”
On whether the former minister might accept the appointment, the source added, “The minister has not spoken yet. But the fact is that he does not feel carried along until this appointment and there’s the possibility that he may not want to commit himself fully because he is a man that doesn’t force himself into where he is not wanted. I won’t speak for him though.”
