2023: Kaduna APC delegates move support from Tinubu to Amaechi

Delegates from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, on Sunday, pledged their support for Presidential candidate and outgoing Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

The delegates reached their decision two days after promising same thing to another APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

According to them, some of the delegates’ earlier vow to the former Lagos State Governor was a hasty decision that no longer stands.

Garba Babawo, the legislator representing Sabon Gari, Kaduna Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Ports and Harbours, had spoken on behalf of Kaduna delegates, urging Tinubu to choose Nasir El-Rufai as his running mate.

Babawo had said, “We have a request for you (Tinubu), sir. What I’m about to say I did not tell our governor because I know if I tell him he would not support it. We want you to take our governor as your running mate.

“We don’t want him to go and settle outside the country after the election because we know his plan. His plan is to leave the country and live in overseas after his tenure as the governor. But we want him to serve the country as your running mate”.

Read also: APC 2023 TICKET: Amaechi tags Tinubu, Osinbajo, others as ‘elders’, urges them to ‘go home and rest’

However, addressing the delegates during the consultative visit by Amaechi to the State on Sunday, Governor El-Rufai said, “I told you when you made that pledge to Asiwaju that others may not come, because of what you have done. You made that choice without listening to anyone else. Today you have seen the difference. You’ve heard Amaechi, you’ve seen what he has done. And he has brought a very strong security team. So you know what will happen with our security if he is in charge.

“What are you going to do? Who are you supporting now? You have a huge burden on you, and you must choose what is best for Kaduna and for Nigeria,” El-Rufai said.

He went on to describe Amaechi’s goodness and sterling leadership characteristics from his time as Governor to now, and why President Muhammadu Buhari holds him in such high respect.

“Let me tell you my history with Governor Amaechi….When we started discussing with the G-7, the seven governors that wanted to defect to the APC, I was holding nocturnal meetings with Governor Amaechi and Governor Nyako of Adamawa State until we got five of them to move to our party, and that was the game changer. And for you to understand how difficult it is, imagine Governor Amaechi of Rivers State from the same South South with incumbent President Jonathan. He made the sacrifice to move to our party. It was a game changer. This is part of the reason why President Buhari loves Minister Amaechi till tomorrow.

“I’m putting this in context so you’ll understand. APC is one family and this primary is an internal competition. We don’t need to call each other names, but let us bring out the virtues and good character of everyone. It is up to you as delegates to make the best choice for Nigeria,” the Governor stated.

Governor El-Rufai then asked the delegates who they want as President, to which they unanimously replied “Amaechi” and “Dan Amanar,” Amaechi’s traditional Daura title.

Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Yusuf Ibrahim Zailani, spoke on behalf of the delegates, declaring that Kaduna State delegates have decided to give all their votes to Dan Amanar Daura, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi.

Amaechi and Tinubu are expected to slug it out with several other aspirants including Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, for the Presidency ticket during the APC primaries scheduled to hold at the end of May.

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