Rotimi Amaechi and Goodluck Jonathan
GOVERNOR Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State was recently
appointed Director-General of the Buhari Campaign
Organisation. At an interactive session, Amaechi among other
things, reels out plans of the campaign organisation and also
clears the air on knotty issues. Excerpts:


Why Jonathan is in trouble — Gov Amaechi
Says he didn’t fund Buhari’s campaign

IS it true you funded the Buhari campaign for the primaries?

I did not. Buhari did not spend money for the primaries.
Anybody who said they spent money should come forward
with evidence. We have maintained consistently that Nigerians
would fund us and that is why we have launched our
campaign we are hoping that people will contribute. It is
there on our website; you will just look at the account and go
and pay.
And we are making sure that we convince General Buhari to
be the sole signatory to that account. That is the way we
would raise our money. We would not depend on rich men.
You can’t fight the president on funds. See how much he
raised from people who some of them collected the
N2.3trillion on oil subsidy and are yet to pay back. If he is
not prosecuting them for oil subsidy, why shouldn’t they pay
for his election?

Symbol of change

The president is trying to raise over N200 million for power
and then those people he is helping to raise the money are
giving him N500million. We can’t fight the president with
money, we will fight him with the people. We will fight the
president by telling Nigerians that they have to vote for
change and the symbol of change for us is the APC and
General Buhari. I will like to reiterate again that General
Buhari did not pay anybody to vote for him at the primaries
and he won because Nigerians want change.

How do you intend to combine your duty as director-general
of the APC presidential campaign with your duties as
governor?

We will try. That is why there is a deputy governor. I have a
deputy who is efficient and I will also from time to time go
back to the state. But we need to deliver and we are all
making sacrifices ?to deliver this change. I don’t know how
people feel. The president and the federal government have
not denied the fact that N2.3trillion was taken for oil
subsidy and that was six months in 2011.
Oil subsidy before that time was N300billion, so how did it
rise to N2.3trillion and the people are not afraid? The federal
government and all its agents were not afraid that
N2.3trillion was taken. So, basically, I don’t mind what I can
do legally to make sure that there is a better Nigeria.

What about the controversy that you have not paid eight
months salaries?

Anybody who said I have not paid him salaries should come
forward. We have paid up till December; you can call Rivers
State to confirm. I got a Blackberry message on Tuesday,
saying; “Thank God, we are going home with our salary
before Christmas.”

Payment of salaries

What we agreed in the cabinet was that we should make
sure that everybody goes home with his salary before
Christmas because as a Christian, I know that December 23
and 24 are the two days that Christians like to shop. I do
not owe salaries in Rivers State. I am proud to say that I
will pay salaries until I leave office and I will continue to
pursue development projects in the state.
I was even surprised that the president’s spokesman even
put it in one of his statements when he was responding to
the accusation that the people who contributed to the
N21billion are those plundering our economy and he said after
all, Governor Amaechi funded the election of Buhari while he
owes teachers eight months salary. And I asked the question,
for you to be a presidential spokesman, facts and statistics
must be on your palm; you shouldn’t joke with that. But the
man was just reacting to gossip.

What are Buhari’s programmes for Nigeria if he wins the
2015 election?

The message is simple. Buhari chased away Maitasene while he
was Head of State. Continue reading....

www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/jonathan-trouble-gov-amaechi/

Clueless fisherman is in real trouble oooo.