The official declaration of interest to vie for the office of president of Nigeria by the Hon. Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi was not only timely but pertinent especially at this critical juncture of the country’s political journey, a youth group, Rotimi Amaechi Youth Ambassadors (RAYA) has said.
The group, while reacting to Saturday’s official declaration of the former Rivers State governor into the presidential race under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the coast is now clear for the transportation minister to clinch the party’s sole presidential ticket for the 2023 polls.
In a statement on Monday in Abuja by the group’s National Coordinator, Arc. Ibrahim Lili, it said the declaration ceremony in a parked Port Harcourt stadium was a testament of Amaechi’s appeal to Nigerians from all walks of life, thereby placing him far above all others.
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Arc. Lili, who was live at the venue of the declaration, added that it was a thrilling moment because “this has answered the yearnings and calls that our group and its likes have been making; for Rt. Hon. Amaechi to declare for the contest of the highest office in the land. Because the country that he served severally needs him again!”
Amaechi, a former speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, is the only one who represents the face of consolidation and continuity of the Buhari administration as his track records precede him, the group stated.
While describing the doggedness as well as apt speed offered by the minister during the declaration ceremony, the group said the “Forward with Courage” title clearly shows to Nigerians that Rotimi Amaechi means business and he readied himself to confront the challenges Nigeria faces from the front.
Amaechi, the two-time campaign director of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019 elections stated in his declaration speech that he decided to throw his hat into the ring “because I believe that it is my moral duty to give what I can in the service of my country.
“To sustain and intensify present efforts at solving our national problems, our democracy must ensure the emergence of a leadership that is equipped with broad experience in governance to ensure stability and continuity. To sustain our democracy and preserve our unity, we need a steady hand and a passion for success in a nation that remains united to pursue prosperity for all Nigerians.
“Today, I stand as an aspirant to the position of President because of that same passion for people; that same drive for results. More than ever before, I am burning with the zeal to make a decisive difference in the lives of all Nigerians.
“No matter the darts and arrows that come my way, I will remain steadfast because the stakes are too high. We cannot afford to fail. We cannot afford to veer off-course.”
The group explained that Nigerians will now have the opportunity to gauge camping based on ideas, plans and programmes as well as issue-based campaign, not mudslinging and personality attacks that characterize some candidates’ campaigns.
