SAN FRANCISCO, August 29, (THEWILL) – Former Rivers governor now Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed that the scheemings that cost the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan the 2015 presidential election were mainly planned, hatched and perfected in Sokoto.
Speaking while paying a courtesy visit on Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state at the Government House, he insisted that Nigeria would have been worse off economically if the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had won the presidential election.
Amaechi, who was in Sokoto to present a keynote address at the 15th National Council on Transportation, said: “I have been to Sokoto severally, especially in 2015 during our struggle to change Nigeria. Sokoto played a very critical role in that struggle. The then governor, Aliyu Wamakko and then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, worked together and closely with us to ensure we achieved our objective.
“The two of them moved with us to the APC; they were equally part of the new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I recall my conversations with Tambuwal when we moved to APC. I had told him that we had moved and he asked whether I was the only one. I told him that I moved with the governors, but he inquired if his governor, Wamakko, equally moved with us. I told him we will issue a statement concerning his governor. As God will have it, the governor himself issued a statement declaring that he was solidly in support of the movement to the APC.
“This meeting today reminds me of all that struggle and our meetings in Sokoto, especially with Wamakko and Tambuwal to strategise for the 2015 presidential election. I must thank him and other Nigerians for that support because the desired change would not have come if they did not come together to support and work for the APC to ensure the emergence of President Buhari.
“The truth of the matter is that as Nigerians, we knew it would have been difficult for Nigeria if PDP had won that presidential election. All of us were scared of what would happen to Nigeria and that was why we decided that the only way to stop what will happen is to ensure that PDP did not win and to God’s glory and our prayers, APC won.
“When I said things would have been difficult, I was talking about the economy. As at that time, if you remember, fuel queues had returned, poverty was coming back, the money stolen was too much that there was no money in the hands of Nigerians, and there was need and desire for a change, and effective change that will safe resources for Nigerians.”
The ex-Speaker of Rivers Assembly went on to say, “There are only three of us that were Speakers that governed a state. It is you (Tambuwal), the governor of Plateau State and myself. We must ensure that we did not disappoint the people. The reason is that the experience we gathered in the legislature is enough to govern a state. I am sure that you are going the way they expect you to go and I wish you the very best.”
He commended the state government for hosting the 15th National Council on Transportation, stating that the conference will provide avenue to participants to brainstorm on issues and proffer solutions.
In his remarks, Tambuwal expressed his government’s commitment to cooperate with Federal Government to ensure success of projects and programmes geared toward uplifting people lives to better.
The governor urged the Transport ministry to install more scanners at the Sultan Abubakar International Airport Sokoto to ensure increase safety and screenings.
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