Rivers State Chapter of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, has described Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of
Transportation and former Governor of the state as the Niger Delta’s version of
foremost nationalists, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa and Ahmadu
Bello.
The state arm of the party made
the remark while reacting to the unprecedented and monumental gathering of
traditional rulers, political leaders, sons and daughters of Ikwerre extraction
in Rivers State at Isiokpo, the traditional Headquarters of the Ikwerre Ethnic
Nationality to honour Amaechi.
A statement signed by Chief
Chukwuemeka Eze, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to
Chairman of APC in the state, Ibiamu Davies Ikanya described the event as
“epochal and monumental.”
The statement noted that the
event was organised by the Ikwerre Youth Movement (IYM), the foremost
socio-cultural organisation in Ikwerre land to “solemnize the Chieftaincy title
earlier conferred on Chief Amaechi by the Ikwerre Traditional Rulers as “EZE
OCHI ALIRI 1 of IKWERRE Land”, which 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 gun shots 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 of Rivers State politics”, he said.
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 up with as a great
leader in the mould of Zik Awo, Sir
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Sir Ahmadu Bello. In short, Amaechi is our own Zik,
Awo, Balawa and Saraduna combined.”
The state arm of the party further
described Amaechi as a “breaker of records stating that the Holy Bible as
reflected in the gospel of Mark 6:4,” said, “A prophet is honoured everywhere
except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family” (New
Living Translation) but Amaechi with the event of today have dusted this truism
with the millions of Ikwerre sons and daughters his brethren agreeing as one
people to honour him for his sterling and outstanding inputs towards the
emancipation of the Ikwerre people and for becoming a great Iroko and one of
the pillars through which the politics of Nigeria currently rotates.
“With this title and recognition
Amaechi becomes the most influential Ikwerre man on planet earth.”
The party further stated that the
Minister stood 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 State for eight years and two term Chairman of the Nigeria Governors
Forum and most historically led an opposition political party to unseat a
sitting President in Nigeria.”
The party explained that, “today,
Chief Amaechi is not only changing the face of Transportation in Nigeria as the
Minister of Transportation but stands out as one of the key and influential member
of President Buhari’ s political Team.
“Refers 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 but the Ikwerre people in the event pleaded with the Eze Ochi Aliri
1 of Ikwerre 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”.
“To the Ikwerre Youth Movement,
“Amaechi is our liberator. He is the man who broke the shackles of political
timidity and wrenched the chains of economic naivety in our domain. This
colossus of a man brought political freedom to our very doorsteps and we will
henceforth stand by him in all his political calculations.”
That's for APC, speak for yourself, we see him as a betrayer
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