Amaechi says Buhari ‘ll run inclusive govt, reshape economy

Director General, All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Ritimu Ameachi, has said that the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari will be an inclusive one, noting that the days of blaming the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are gone forever.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja to thank Nigerians for their support for the party, Amaechi said President Buhari has assured in his acceptance speech that he will work to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians under the next level agenda.

He said: “The president has said that not only will he run an inclusive government but that he has also realised that Nigerians have suffered enough and time to rescue Nigeria.

“Let us work together as friends and in four years time we will come back for another election and encourage the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure election is free, fair and credible which the President has been emphasising on”.

When asked if APC can now accept responsibility for the state of things in the country, he said: “I think we should leave the past, whether PDP did well or not we now have another four years to prove that we are better than them. We have to prove them wrong by doing better. So, there are no excuses. The president will ensure he runs a government that satisfy Nigerians and that is all we want”.

However, Amaechi said that the fact that APC will take responsibility for policies aimed at reshaping the economy of the country does not mean that Nigerians will no longer refer to what happened in the past.

He pointed that the Jonathan administration inherited $68 billion from former President Olusegun Obasanjo but left a paltry $2.5 billion for the President Buhari-led administration in 2015.

Responding to a statement credited to Uche Secondary that there will be no election in 2023,

Amaechi said the PDP chairman is not the constitution to decide whether there will be polls in 2023 or not.

On the outcome of the just concluded presidential election, Amaechi said APC is satisfied with the votes it got at the poll, especially the better spread that the party’s candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari secured from areas like the Southeast zone.

While responding to the threat by the PDP to challenge the victory of APC at the court, Amaechi said the campaign council aligns itself what President Buhari in Ogun state that people are free to express their views about the election, saying that “we believe they are our colleagues and friends but if they don’t see reason I think we also have lawyers.”

Amaechi further chided the PDP over its petition to the United Nations and European Union, maintaining that both organizations have no business with Nigeria’s election.

He insisted that the highest authority in the country is the constitution and nothing else.

On the spate of violence that characterized the presidential poll, particularly the one that claimed lives of civilians and soldiers in Rivers state, Amaechi said the regrettable incident occurred due to the desperate bid by the Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike for a second term.

Amaechi who said he deliberately chose not to talk about governance in Rivers state so that the governor will not blame him for its non performance accused governor Wike of single-handedly ordering the withdrawal of N117 billion from state coffers in one day.

The minister exonerated himself from any involvement in the sponsorship of the violence that marred the presidential election in some parts of Rivers state, saying that he drove back to his house immediately after casting his vote.

“Just because one has ambition for second term so all human being should die, I was once a governor of Rivers state and I fought militants. I don’t know any of them and if you just tell me  you are a militant, that is the end, immediately I will take you to court and  You can ask anybody in Rivers state”, adding that instead of working with the military to maintain peace and order, governor Wike was busy recruiting people he called neighbourhood watch.