Despite feeling aggrieved at losing the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential ticket to Bola Tinubu, former Minister of Transport, Chibuike Amaechi, has withdrawn from active party activities since he lost out in the party’s presidential primaries on June 8 this year.
In the APC presidential primaries, former Lagos State governor Bola Tinubu polled 1,271 votes to clinch the party’s presidential ticket while Amechi polled 316 votes to come second.
Amaechi, in a letter he personally signed, congratulated Tinubu and said he looks forward to working with Tinubu to ensure that the APC wins the 2023 presidential election.
Amechi later alleged that some delegates were induced with money to vote at the APC presidential primary in June. Though Amaechi did not mention the aspirant who allegedly gave money to delegates, but there were accusations and counter-accusations between Mr Tinubu’s supporters and those of other APC aspirants during and after the primaries.
The Director-General of Asiwaju Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation, Adebayo Shittu, said he found the utterances of Amaechi embarrassing. He said, “Can Amaechi isolate himself from those he claimed to have induced delegates for votes? He, just like other aspirants at the APC primaries, cannot point fingers at others without implicating themselves. Amaechi’s outburst, just like few other noticeable ones, were obviously done out of frustration. I understand that when one loses an election, one is bound to hold grudges. You can’t rule that out. After all, we are human beings and Nigerians,”.
Bola Tinubu visited Amechi after the primaries and both men promised to work together to ensure victory for the APC come 2023.
Interestingly, Bola Tinubu did not respond to Amechi’s allegations not due to lack of courage but for the purpose of peace and to allow the party to move on as one united body into the 2023 elections.
Amechi relocated back to Rivers State after three weeks of the APC primaries. His body language does not support the spirit of his letter of congratulations to Tinubu. He has withdrawn from taking part in activities of the party. As a former governor of and past Minister of Transportation, Amechi is the APC leader in Rivers State.
Penultimate Friday, Governor Wike received decampees of the APC into the Rivers State PDP. This happened with Amechi fully on ground in the State.
Sources in the Rivers APC say that the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, should reach out to Amechi, and placate him for any grudges he may have after his defeat at the APC presidential primaries. Also, Tinubu should reconcile Amechi with other chieftains of the party in the State to stem the growing tension in the party ahead of the 2023 elections.
Unlike his counterpart in the PDP, Tinubu has exhibited maturity in his handling of scathing comments against his person, thereby ensuring peace within the APC.
Sources in the Rivers APC say Tinubu must do more to foster peace in the party by reaching out to Amechi and bring all aggrieved party members together and call for a meeting of Rivers APC stakeholders.
As for Amechi, the earlier he comes out of his self-imposed isolation to provide leadership for APC members in Rivers State, the better the chances of the party to wrest back the State from the PDP in the 2023 elections, especially with the face off between the PDP’s Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, and his party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.