The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state, calls Rotimi Amaechi the Niger Delta version of a combination of Awolowo, Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa

- The APC says the population of guests including politicians and traditional rulers at the event to honour Amaechi proves he is a true leader

- The party also commended its national body for appointing Amaechi as the director-general of the presidential campaign committee

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the unprecedented gathering of the traditional rulers and political leaders in Rivers state on January, 13, to honour Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of the state as historical, epochal and monumental.

Amaechi, who is the current transport minister, was honoured with a chieftaincy title of Eze Ochi Aliri 1 of Ikwerre Land and the Ikwerre Youth Movement (IYM) organised an event to solemnise it at Isiokpo, considered the traditional headquarters of the Ikwerre ethnic nationality.

In a statement by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the senior special adviser on media and public affairs consultant to the state chairman of the APC, Dr Ibiamu Davies Ikanya, the party said the title means: “The person who stands tall to take on and ward off any challenge in a family or community. Briefly, he is the ‘redeemer of his people’ (Ikwerre) or ‘The wise defender of the Ikwerre kingdom’.

“The event unprecedented in recent time in the annals of social and political gathering in Rivers state commenced with 21 traditional gunshots to welcome Amaechi and over a million of persons from Ikwerre the largest ethnic group in Rivers state with friends and supporters to accord honour to this great son of Nigeria and to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for the honour done to their son and leader.

“The organisers through the president-general of Ikwerre Youths Movement (IYM), and one of the greatest grass-root mobilisers from Rivers state, Hon Azubuike Chikere Wanjoku, expressed their profound gratitude to President Buhari for assisting their son to demonstrate to the entire world the stuff he is made of with as a great leader in the mold of Zik, Awo, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Sir Ahmadu Bello.

“In short Amaechi is our own Zik, Awo, Balawa and Saraduna combined,” the party highlighted

The party further described Chief Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as a breaker of records while quoting the gospel of Mark 6:4, as stating: “A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”

With this title and recognition, the statement said Amaechi becomes the most influential Ikwerre man on planet earth.

The party further stated that Amaechi stands out as the only Nigerian that was a speaker of a state House of Assembly for eight years, chairman of the Speakers’ Forum of Nigeria, governor of Rivers for eight years and two term chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum,

He also led an opposition political party to unseat a sitting president in Nigeria.

“Today, Chief Amaechi is not only changing the face of transportation in Nigeria as the minister, but stands out as one of the key and influential member of President Buhari’ s political team.

“Referred in some quarters as the Lion of Niger Delta politics, this great son of Rivers state has being reappointed to lead APC to victory come 2019 as the director general of the presidential campaign council. No son of Rivers state has achieved such feats to warrant his ethnic tribe to have so honoured him in this manner.

“Not minding that the incumbent governor of Rivers state, Chief Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike, is of the Ikwerre extraction, the Ikwerre people in the event pleaded with the Eze Ochi Aliri 1 to “please, introduce the APC candidate for the 2019 gubernatorial election and 2019 shall be a walk over as Wike has proved what it means not to be a governor," the statement said.

The party alleged that Governor Wike was so irked that the people wanted an APC governor in the state that he immediately ordered the sack of three of the caretaker committee chairmen of Ikwerre extraction for not scuttling the reception.

The affected chairmen that earned the wrath of Governor Wike were that of Obio-Akpor, Port Harcourt and Ikwerre.

“The Emouha chairman was spared the sack hammer as he made attempt to scuttle the event but his attempt could not make any impact as the reception was held without any hitch.

“It is based on this development that the party blasted Gov Wike for this childish move of sacking these men forgetting that 75 percent of those in his cabinet were all Amaechi's products including himself and sacking them will not save him from the woes that await him come 2019,” the statement said.

At the event, Amaechi was quoted as saying: “If anybody on earth says I have sat with him at any meeting to plan how to k*ll someone, that person should step forward.

“I swear before God and those of you here, 90 percent of those who benefitted from Scholarships under me, I never knew them. President Muhammadu Buhari will ensure that the 2019 elections will be free and fair.

“I urge all our people to register and obtain their voters' cards to enable them to exercise their franchise as the 2019 elections, especially the governorship, are our last battle.

“If we win, we will take over Rivers state. If we lose in the election, we will go home and rest. We will not impose any candidate. Anybody who will go for any position, like chairmanship, should go for primaries.

“Anybody who wins will be the party’s candidate. The president said that there would be no rigging during the 2019 elections. It is to our advantage. As Ikwerre people, we must give out the power to other ethnic nationalities. But we will be in a position to take it back at any time. Your future is in your hands.”

https://www.naija.ng/1146345-apc-calls-amaechi-awolowo-azikiwe-ahmadu-bello-niger-delta.html