The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, formally declared his intention to contest for the presidency on Saturday, even as he promised to tackle insecurity and hunger in Nigeria.
Amaechi spoke on Saturday during a special thanksgiving organised in his honour by the All Progressives Congress at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Igwurita, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, a facility he built while he was the governor of the state.
He specifically said he had enough experience to lead Nigeria as the next President, recalling that he had served as governor, minister and speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Amaechi, in his speech titled, ‘Forward with courage’, explained that “hope is around the corner”.
He said, “I stand before you today to declare my intention and submit my application to serve as your next President. I did not come to this decision lightly. I have served our nation for the last seven years as Minister of Transportation. For eight years before that, I served as governor of Rivers State.
“In the preceding eight years before that, I was Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. These 23 years of service have equipped me not only with great experience in governance and public service but also compassion for the ordinary citizens of our dear country.
“After more than two decades in the public arena, I had wanted to go on holiday and spend more time with my family before charting a new course outside politics. But at 58, and a member of the generation born after independence who has seen the good, the bad and the ugly of Nigeria, I am compelled by the urgency of our present challenges to place my experience and proven capacity at the service of the nation at the highest level.”
The former governor stated that it was his moral duty to give what he could in the service of the country, adding that his aspiration was not about