Saturday indeed was an active and busy day within the political circle as more people declared their intentions to vie for the office of the President of Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general elections.
One of the such declarations was in Port Harcourt where the current Minister of transportation Chibuike Amaechi declared to run for president in 2023.
The former governor of rivers state made the announcement Saturday during a thanksgiving service held in Port Harcourt to mark the successful hosting of the APC national convention in Abuja two weeks ago.
He stated that his interest to run for the Presidency was not to fulfill a life time ambition but a moral burden on his years of public service.
“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.
He added that, "For eight years before that, I served as Governor of Rivers. In the preceding eight years before that, I was Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly,”
According to Amaechi, the 23 years of service have equipped him 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 56 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 minister said that those who knew him could testify that he had always been a straight talker.
Also on Saturday, Popular Pentecostal pastor, Tunde Bakare, declared his interest in the 2023 presidential race.
The Ogun State indigene was President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in 2011 when the latter ran unsuccessfully in that year’s presidential poll.
The founder of Citadel Global Community Church (formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly), said he would contest under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The cleric’s declaration also pits him against APC bigwigs, including the former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu; former Abia State governor, Orji Kalu; former Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, and Governors Yahaya Bello and Dave Umahi of Kogi and Ebonyi states respectively.
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