… confident of Atiku/Amaechi’s victory at 2027 general elections
By Olawale Lamina
Erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party, nPDP and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has described as ridiculous the statement credited to a group under the aegis of Southern Political Progressives Amalgamation Forum, calling on the presidential candidate of the opposition ADC, Atiku Abubakar, not to consider Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement made available to journalists, Chief Eze said no serious-minded Nigerian would ordinarily dignify a group he referred to as a faceless organisation with a response. He asserted that there is the need to put the record straight with facts by confronting deliberately packaged lies, aimed at misleading the public in the guise of political analysis.
“As a matter of fact, there is absolutely nothing spontaneous or independent about this group. Its statement bears all the hallmarks of the propaganda machinery of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, whose obsession with Amaechi has become both legendary and embarrassing. Nigerians are no longer deceived. Whenever anonymous groups suddenly emerge to attack Amaechi, it does not take a political detective to identify the sponsor,” Eze stated.
He described the development as ironic, that those who claim Amaechi has become politically irrelevant cannot go a week without mentioning his name.
On the choice of Amaechi as Atiku’s VP, his capability and the brouhaha that trailed his political influence, the party chieftain argued rhetorically that, “If Amaechi truly no longer commands influence, why is Wike so visibly unsettled by the mere prospect of his emergence as the ADC’s vice-presidential candidate? Why the coordinated media attacks? Why the desperation to poison the minds of Nigerians before the party has even made a decision?
“The answer is obvious. Wike knows that Amaechi remains one of the most experienced, nationally respected and politically formidable leaders in contemporary Nigeria. He understands that Amaechi’s acceptability cuts across regional, ethnic and political divides, and that his emergence on the ADC ticket would significantly strengthen the opposition’s chances in 2027.
“The attempt to reduce Amaechi’s political relevance to the outcome of local political rivalries in Rivers State is not only dishonest but intellectually lazy. Amaechi is not merely a Rivers politician. He is a statesman whose influence extends well beyond the boundaries of his state. His service as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term Governor of Rivers State, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Director-General of the historic 2015 presidential campaign and later Minister of Transportation speaks to a national political profile that few can rival.
“Those who argue that Amaechi cannot deliver votes conveniently ignore history. Elections are not won solely on the strength of one individual’s local political base. They are won through credibility, leadership, vision, strategic alliances and public confidence. Amaechi possesses these qualities in abundance.
“What is even more disturbing is the desperation to interfere in the internal affairs of the ADC. The choice of a running mate is entirely the prerogative of the party and its presidential candidate. No amount of sponsored media campaigns, blackmail or intimidation will influence that decision. The Nigerian people are wise enough to distinguish genuine political discourse from propaganda financed by desperate politicians.
“It is unfortunate that instead of devoting his energy to the enormous responsibility of administering the Federal Capital Territory, Wike appears preoccupied with fighting imaginary political battles against Amaechi. This unhealthy fixation has become a distraction from governance and raises serious questions about the priorities of a public officer entrusted with one of Nigeria’s most strategic offices.
“I therefore urge Nigerians to disregard the statement issued by this faceless group. It neither represents the South nor speaks for genuine progressives. It is simply another failed attempt by political merchants to diminish a man whose record, experience and national standing continue to inspire confidence across the country.”
Chief Eze noted that no amount of sponsored falsehood can erase Amaechi’s contributions to Nigeria or diminish his relevance in the country’s political future, warning that those who have chosen the path of propaganda will ultimately discover that “truth has a longer lifespan than falsehood, and that history is never rewritten by hired voices.”
Eze who accused the FCT Minister of being jealous of Amaechi’s political records, emphasized that the plot to undermine the former minister of transportation will fail, even with the support of those he alleged are Wike’s misguided cohorts, nothing will stop Atiku and Amaechi from occupying the Presidential Villa come 2027, “no matter the odds ”
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