Babatunde Solanke
Former Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Chibuike Amaechi, on Monday, cleared insinuation in some quarters that he has left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stating categorically that his long silence does not mean that he has dumped the party.
He reacted to a fictitious report by an unidentified Ibeh, who claimed that the former Minister of Transportation has regretted joining the APC.
He attributed the malicious report to the handiwork of mischief-makers.
In a statement made available to newsmen, the erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, flatly disclaimed the report by one Ibeh.
Chief Eze noted that the concocted report was tactically embellished with summary issues to curry public validity, ans was deceitfully coined in a tone that suggests it emanated from Amaechi.
He stated that the writer has no link whatsoever with the South-South leader of the ruling APC.
Chief Eze, a close ally of Amaechi, said the his boss has never had any media audience with any faceless character neither did he authorize anyone anywhere to manufacture such falsehood as the report portrays, stressing that the ex-Governor does not entertain any regrets in building and nurturing the APC into a formidable political bloc.
Emphasizing that leadership failure has little or nothing to do with political party in the Nigerian context, the APC Chieftain said Amaechi, like every other Nigerian, regrets the odious insensitivity of the ruling class to the plight of the ordinary people of the country and the difficult times the loud negligence of government holds as a consequence, but however maintained that the author of the vague piece in circulation is on the frolics of his own, as he did so on his own volition.
“As an outstanding stakeholder within the political family of the erstwhile Governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation, I read with great disdain, the fabricated falsehood by one fictitious Ibeh, that Amaechi regrets joining and expanding APC and all other rubbish he stated in his false report.
“Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have joined issues with demented, unscrupulous and undemocratic merchants of satanic world on their ill-fated assumption concerning the political life of Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
“Doing so, definitely will amount to glorifying detractors, backstabbers, and habitual blackmailers like Ibeh, who are threatened by Amaechi’s silence in the affairs of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“However, as a progressive, humane and grassroots oriented politician, and considering the fact that Amaechi is one of the key political gladiators that formed APC and eventually wrestled power from the Peoples Democratic Party, I am constrained to set the records straight.
“For posterity sake, I have come to make this clarification in order not to massage the political ego of ungrateful allies as keeping quite will send a dangerous signal in the APC family and the country’s polity.
“Flowing from the above summation, I make bold to state that Amaechi’s silence in the affairs of our great party is purely a personal issue and based on self convictions. It has come to my knowledge of an orchestrated mischief and a deliberate but concerted effort aimed at maligning and placing Amaechi in public opprobrium” Chief Eze clarified.
The said report ascribed to Amaechi, “to say the least, is a handiwork of denigrated political charlatans and their sponsors who are hell-bent on destroying a hand that once fed them.
“Amaechi is a complete partyman, a strategist, a proactive and focused politician, who would not condescend so low to rant publicly on issues that would negate the growth and existence of APC and intra party politics” Eze stated.
He warned those peddling such devious reports to
stop wasting their time to force Amaechi to speak.
“I drew the attention of Amaechi to the false report, which he vehemently refuted claiming not ever encountered the diabolical Ibeh talk less of discussing anything with him about whatever he perceives as his trial in the hands of APC leadership, Eze explained.
Quoting Eze, Amaechi said, “I did not say that rubbish”.
“Let me state categorically that Amaechi didn’t utter or was interviewed by the mysterious Ibeh as he has no regret of joining APC and bringing it to power. He has no regret for whatsoever he did in making history by transforming the rail transportation in Nigeria or neither does he have any regret bringing Buhari to power.
“I counsel those behind the fabricated falsehood aimed at denting the hard earned political image of Amaechi, to leave him alone until such a time he needs to address the nation accordingly
“All these are acts by some undesirable junkyard snakes in green grass to attribute statements never made by Amaechi to him” the APC Chief said.
Eze restated that as a committed party leader and nationalist, Amaechi wishes to see a Nigeria that runs, mutatis mutandis, on the mantra of sincere change which is the fulcrum around which the ambition of the APC revolves.
Eze said they are fully aware that further evil reports are being prepared against Amaechi but assured that they are well prepared to attend to them accordingly.
Eze called on the reading public to disregard the mendacious publication in its entirety emanating from the conners of smear campaigners who derive pleasure in smirching the reputation of Amaechi as a format to gain publicity and attract patronage from his political adversaries and non-democrats.