2015: Why Buhari will beat Jonathan in presidential poll - Amaechi
The Rivers State Governor and Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) will win the presidential election next year because the present administration has failed the people.
Besides, he said the electoral map no longer favoured President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said unlike the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is having crises in many states across the nation, the APC was united, noting that 'even the ruling party knows that it is facing a serious challenge against its rule.'
Amaechi, who stated this yesterday in an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, dismissed speculations that he was funding the Buhari campaign with Rivers State funds. He said there was also no truth in the allegation that his state owed workers eight months salary, stating that his state was not owing its workers, especially as it had just paid December salaries.
'There is a wrong assumption that Buhari won't win but I believe that Buhari will win and it is simple electoral mathematics.
'Before, the President had South-south and South-east, but now, there is problem for the PDP in Cross River, there is problem for the party in Bayelsa, there is problem for the PDP in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and in Delta.
'It wasn't like that before. By this time, the PDP would have been dancing, but have you seen them dancing? When they were doing the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), I knew it would get to this point.
'If we go to the North, does APC have problem in Kano and Kaduna? Do we have problem in Jigawa, Sokoto. No, it is PDP that has problem in those states. So, the political map has changed and that is why I believe that ‎by God's grace, Buhari and APC will win,' Amaechi stated.
He added that: 'Before, you have three or four weak parties that used to confront the PDP. Now the PDP knows that it has a strong opposition, they know. Now, Nigerians want change and they will protect their results.'
He said unlike in the past, when opposition parties were unable to have agents in all the polling units across the nation, the APC will ensure that it has people who will serve as its agents in all the polling units in next year's general elections.
However, Amaechi said the people must be ready to make sacrifice in order to get the change they are clamouring for in next year's general elections.
The Rivers governor promised that if elected president, Buhari would run a prudent government that would solve the electricity problem in the country, create employment and tackle the Boko Haram insurgency in the country, as well as industrialise the nation.
In his words ' The message is simple. Buhari chased away the Maitasene while he was Head of State. Maitasene is like Boko Haram and they were killing people in Borno. He took Buhari to chase them away because he is a strong leader. We need a strong leader now to chase away Boko Haram or they will chase us away.
' we need Buhari to be able to fight insurgency. The federal government has not been able to do well in the area of fighting insurgency. It is not because we have a bad military; it is because they are not well funded. And even if they were well funded, maybe in between the period the money get to the military and the period it is released some amount of money disappeared.
'I think corruption is the main issue because if they are properly equipped then they can fight insurgency. The military is planning to kill over 50 military officers just because they say equip me properly. I cannot be going to fight a man who has RPG or GPMG and you give old very old AK 47 that cannot even shoot, then you will be risking my life. They have right to protest on that and you don't kill them for that.'
Amaechi, added that the APC presidential campaign will kick off early next year and will see the party going round the 36 states with the message of hope.