The two major political parties in Rivers state, the All
Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
sharply disagreed today November 12, on the appointment of Chibuike
Rotimi Amaechi, as minister for transportation, while PDP slammed it as
waste to Rivers people.APC is however upbeat directing his attention to issues that need his urgent attention as the man is saddled with running the strategically important ministry.
“We heartily congratulate our leader on his meritorious appointment as Honourable Minister of Transport while at the same time extend our heartfelt gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for his confidence in Amaechi.
“We wish to assure Mr. President and all Nigerians that Amaechi, who has a track record of performance, will deliver even beyond expectations if given the necessary cooperation,” Rivers APC said in a statement signed by the chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya.
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The party draws Amaechi’s attention to some of the most pressing problems facing the Transportation sector at a time when the Port Harcourt International Airport is rated as the worst in the world and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the seventh worst on the African continent, while the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, is ranked 10th worst on the continent.
“This is not acceptable to us and we wish that Amaechi quickly corrects this shameful anomaly imposed on us by the immediate past visionless administration of Goodluck Jonathan and his misguided Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” the party said.
Continuing, the party said: “Amaechi is coming-in as the transport minister at a time when the railway system is moribund and the maritime sector in a chaotic state. We know what Amaechi is made of and we expect him to turn them around.”
However, the Rivers state chapter of the PDP described the appointment of Amaechi as the minister of transportation as wasteful and would not make any meaningful impact to the Rivers people.
The state chairman of the party said this through a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Jerry Needam, while reacting to the official inauguration of the new ministers and assigning of portfolios to them.
According to the state PDP boss, a ministerial slot for Rivers state given to Amaechi is a loss to the because he (Amaechi) is at war with the state and does not believe in the development vision of the state governor, Nyesom Wike.
According to the party, Amaechi’s appointment has put a question mark on the Buhari’s war against corruption and has given Nigerians a clear picture that Buhari’s war against corruption is targeted at perceived political enemies and opponents.
Amaechi, the state PDP boss noted, has demonstrated in his actions and conduct not to support or appreciate any development plan that does not have his endorsement or that of his acolytes which is not good for any group of people that desire progress.
“Rivers state has an appreciable number of qualified, prudent and humble sons and daughters with burning desire to move the state forward and help promote the existing peace and love among the people which Governor Wike has graciously put in place in only five months in office.
“We’ll therefore be happy to have the federal government or any other agency that means well for the state to always pick from this pool of resourceful and more enterprising human capital other than those with penchant for misleading, mishandling and mismanaging the scare resources of the state as exemplified by the Amaechi administration”, Obuah advised.
“It would be recalled that despite the stiff opposition to the nomination of former governor as a ministerial nominee by both Rivers people and Nigerians, President Buhari still went ahead to ratify his nomination by appointing him the minister of transportation.
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“To register their disapproval of Amaechi’s appointment, all PDP senators walked out of the National Assembly for allowing the APC members’ insistence on Amaechi’s confirmation which the PDP described as official institutionalization of corruption in Nigeria.
“Majority of Nigerians also have in one voice kicked against Amaechi’s nomination and appointment as minister of Transportation,’‘ the PDP concluded.
Unlike Rivers state however, Governor Ayodele Fayose, of Ekiti state of PDP, who is a known critic of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC-led federal government, put politics aside and congratulated his immediate predecessor, Kayode Fayemi, minister of Solid Minerals for his new appointment and enjoined him that the time is ripe for them to work the interest of Ekiti state and Nigerians.
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