Dailypilot.ng

Allies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and a former Minister of Transportation and presidential aspirant of the party have engaged in a cross fire battle over allegations made by Amaechi that delegates who voted at the APC primary were bribed to influence the outcome of the convention.


Rotimi Amaechi, a former minister of transportation, had expressed that delegates who sold their votes at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary are regretting their actions.

Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers state, polled 316 votes and was second in the exercise.

Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, clinched the ticket after securing over 1,000 votes.

Speaking over the weekend at an event to mark the 60th birthday of Eugene Ogu, general overseer of Abundant Life Evangel Mission in Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital, Amaechi said the “ordinary” citizen is the problem of the country.

The former minister stated that the prayer should be for Nigerians to vote for the right person to govern the country.


“I don’t believe that is the solution to Nigeria’s problem — giving money. I hope you know. I give you N10 million now and when it finishes, what happens? The solution to Nigeria’s problem is that all of you must rise,” he said.

“God should save the ordinary Nigerian, because they are the problem. Those who voted at the APC primary, who are they? The ordinary Nigerian. The small money they got solved their immediate problems.

“Now ‘oh we made a mistake’; ‘we didn’t make a mistake’. We are hearing different things. Pray for the leadership of the country, but also pray that ordinary Nigerians choose the right person to govern.”

Following his comments loyalists have both Chieftains have engaged one another debunking and defensive battle over the comment.

The former Minister of Transportation came under fire on Monday over his allegation that delegates who voted at the APC primary were bribed to influence the outcome of the convention.

Reacting to his scathing remarks, some APC supporters and party chieftains berated the former governor of Rivers State, who they claimed was exhibiting traits of frustration after losing out to Tinubu.

A number of Amaechi’s loyalists have also risen to his defence, stating that the ex-minister did not mention any name while making the conjecture.

Director-General of Asiwaju Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation, Adebayo Shittu, said he found the utterances of Amaechi unbelievable.

He said, “Who is regretting what? 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.

“What does he mean by delegates regretting they collected bribes for votes? Is he indirectly saying the governors who brought them collected bribes and expressing regret too? I wish to have an opportunity to square up with him on this kind of issue.”

“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,” he added.

The Ekiti State Coordinator of Tinubu Support Organisation, Gabriel Babalola, also took a swipe at Amaechi and wondered how a former minister believed he could win the battle for the APC presidential ticket without working hard for it.

“Before any of them could wake up, Asiwaju had gone from state to state, from one traditional ruler to another asking for their support.

“How many traditional rulers did Amaechi visit before the convention? How many states did he visit? He must have spoken out of frustration,” Babalola said.


He said, “Amaechi, like some other aspirants and party members, may not be pleased with the fact that Asiwaju won the elections, especially with the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket playing out.

“I am quite sure the reaction would have been different if Tinubu didn’t head in that direction. Perhaps, everybody would have been fired up.”

One of Amaechi’s allies and a chieftain of the APC, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, however said it was unfortunate that Tinubu’s camp took the matter personally.

Eze, a former spokesman of the defunct new Peoples’ Democratic Party, noted that the former minister neither mentioned Tinubu nor named any politician and wondered why he attracted unnecessary criticism from his men.

“Did Amaechi mention anybody’s name when he made that statement? So if Tinubu’s people feel that they are the guilty, it is very unfortunate.

“Everybody saw what happened on that day, and even most of the delegates confirmed that they were given money to vote,” he said.

In a related development, Deputy Publicity Secretary of the APC in Rivers State, Darlington Nwauju, also believed Amaechi was misunderstood.


Nwauju said, “First of all, I was present at that ceremony or the event where he spoke. Now the issue is that he gave an example anybody can give any interpretation. And I hope they also heard when he said ‘please, vote for the APC.’ He said that clearly.

“So, when people take the example out of issues, he contextualised it because he is an APC member. He couldn’t have used the example of the PDP. If he had said those who voted for Atiku Abubakar, they would have said ‘oh, because he wants to join the PDP.’ So he contextualised it.”

All efforts made to reach the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, for reaction proved abortive.

As of the time for filing this report, he didn’t answer his calls or reply to the SMS.

However, a former Deputy Spokesman of the APC, Yekinni Nabena also hinted that he would be totally disappointed if Amaechi really desecrated the same process he partook at the APC primary.


https://www.dailypilot.ng/vote-business-allegation-amaechi-tinubus-allies-in-cross-fire-battle/

The campaign to intimidate and humiliate Rotimi Amaechi because of where he comes from is very shameful. Bribes were given, Amaechi is honest enough to say so, why are they fighting him without denying that bribes were given to influence votes? Is Amaechi supposed to keep silent when this is the very problem spoiling Nigeria?

If a Haruna Sanni Bello mentioned this in an interview, Adebayo Shittu will never reply him, he will pretend never to have heard the interview.

Nigerians should be wiser, vote for credible candidates who are not corrupt to be sharing millions of dollars among delegates in the name of buying the presidency, if they buy the presidency, they will enslave you all till they make their profits from your suffering.

Rotimi Amaechi, join Labour Party before its too late. As a good man, leave the evil party. "A rope is not a good sight on the neck of a fowl" - African proverbs.

APC Fighting each other, 2023 will be interesting

How can a sane human being support an ancestor who has nothing to offer as a president without bribes.

Tinubu has not been seen anywhere telling Nigerians how he will solve all Numero problems facing the country.

Agbado and cassava president..

Okay

Ameachi should be apologizing to Nigerians now. He was the brain behind Buhari's emergents as to the president. He finance everything with Rivers State Money asslicking northerners up and down with the hope of being their anointed candidates.
He too also offered bribe just that Tinubu's money was way too much.

Ameachi is no better but Tinubu is out of it.
Tinubu is an insensitive wicked greedy old man that would be taught a bitter political lesson in 2023

Both winners of APC and PDP primaries were vote buyers but I think amaechi and wike were aggrieved that after the money they spent, both of them couldn't get the ticket.


I wished APC gave us osibanjo and PDP gave us PO instead this old men they packaged for us

Thank God there are still Nigerians that cannot be bribed..

A man steals from you, then bribes you with what is actually yours, you thank him and then want to make him president...

Are you normal at all?....