By Gideon Njoku
The Minister for Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, will fly represent two Zones while pursuing his ambition of becoming the President in 2023. He will be representing the South-south and the South-east.
Amaechi is from the South-South. But he is of the South-south Igbo. And he proudly claims it with two hands. “My birth names are Igbo names – Chibuike Amaechi. I am an Igbo man. Let no one deny me of my Igbo heritage, birthright, Ancestry, please. Unless you want to be sectional and deny the Igbo people. I have made myself clear repeatedly, that I, Chibuike Amaechi from Ikwerre, am an Igbo man. Our people are Igbo people.”
Amaechi proud declaration of his Igbo ancestry is unlike the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who even though he is Ikwerre, and of Igbo ancestry, brazenly denies being Igbo.
Amaechi is yet to declare his aspiration, but speculations have been rife, strongly, especially, since after he was honored by the Daura Emirate, with a high profile traditional title, and, was visited, thereafter, at home, by the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, to congratulate him. President Buhari is from the Daura Emirate.
However, since after the National Convention of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on March 26, 2022, the speculation over Amaechi has been raised.
This has been followed by a release of his manifesto which contains his political-life story and his achievements so far.
It also contains photographs he had taken with one high profile political figure or other, as well as other influential Nigerians.
Amaechi was a two-term Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two- term Governor of Rivers State, two term Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, and now, a two-term Minister for Transportation.
Not a few people think that President Buhari could back Amaechi in order to kill two birds with one stone – make the South-south complete a second term which was aborted in 2015 with the defeat of Goodluck Jonathan, and give the Igbo a sense of belonging, since Amaechi is of Igbo ancestry
