Former Rivers State governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Thursday said the ‘Emilokan’ philosophy that shaped the last presidential election had pushed Nigerians into hardship.
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He insisted that the country could no longer afford to choose leaders based on ethnicity, religion or whose ‘turn’ it was to rule.
The remarks marked one of Amaechi’s strongest attacks yet on the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the current administration ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Amaechi spoke in Abuja shortly after submitting his presidential nomination form, where he presented himself as the most experienced among the aspirants, questioned the APC’s bid for another term and urged Nigerians to vote based on competence and performance.
Amaechi said, “It is what do you call it, Emilokan, that brought us here. It is ‘our turn’ that brought us here. It is the turn of Nigerians, because you see, there is no market for Christians, neither is there a market for Muslims, or a market for northerners or southerners.
“The market has only just one purpose, the forex. And what is forex? Naira. Nigerians are suffering. They are suffering.”
Amaechi blamed the current administration for the country’s economic difficulties and questioned why the APC was seeking another term.
He said, “The current president has put us in this suffering. I don’t know why he wants to run.
“I don’t even know why APC wants to participate. They should be ashamed and allow other Nigerians to participate and change the country.”
The former minister also urged Nigerians to reject identity politics.
“Nigerians should vote for merit, not vote for those who say ‘I’m from this place’, ‘I’m from that place’, ‘vote for me because my people have not been voted for before’, or ‘it’s our turn’,” he said.
Amaechi said the 2027 election should be a referendum on the records of those seeking office.
He said, “I would say that what you are seeing currently is that nearly everybody who is running for the office of the president has served Nigeria in one way or another. Let this be a referendum.
“If you have performed, whoever has outperformed the other, vote for the person. The next thing is who is capable of delivering the votes? Who is capable of beating the incumbent? Who has the experience?”
Amaechi said his records as governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation showed he had the experience to lead the country.
He said, “I believe I am the most experienced. I am young, I am the most experienced, and I believe I have the capacity.
“Go back to Rivers State and see what I have done. Go back to the Ministry of Transportation and see what I have done, and assess it and see whether I can turn the country around. And I will, in four years, turn the country around.”
On the mode of selecting the party’s presidential candidate, Amaechi said he preferred a direct primary.
“I’m going for primary. If the consensus is me, fine. But if it’s not me, I’m going for primary,” he said.
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