Amechi cautions Buhari against seeking re-election in 2019

A former minister in the first republic, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to seek re-election in 2019 because of his age and other factors.

Reacting to a statement credited to President Buhari statement during the southeast rally of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Owerri, Imo state that Igbos’ political future rests on President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election, Amechi said the ideal thing in a civilized society should be that the best candidate should emerge from elections.

Recall that President Buhari made the statement at a mega rally of the APC in Imo state, through his representatives, Boss Mustapha.

Mustapha had said: “2019 is an election that will make or mar the chances of Igbo in Nigeria. I want Igbo to make a paradigm shift.”

While stating that President Buhari had the constitutional right to seek re-election, he said he, as an individual, would not want the president to occupy the position beyond 2019 in view of his age and health, as well as his alleged poor performance and the fact that he had proved to be a dictator.

He said: “I know they (Northerners) do not mean what they said concerning the Igbo presidency. Even though it looks certain that a northerner would become the next president, such a president should not take Igbo for granted as it is at present.

Amechi observed that the North had produced most of the country’s presidents, yet they were insisting on producing the next one in 2019, adding that using it to entice Igbo people might actually not work.

According to him, Buhari’s performance in the last three years was filled with feudalistic tendencies, which only succeeded in breeding disharmony among Nigerians.

“He is the one behind the herdsmen menace in many parts of the country; otherwise he would have done something to stop the incessant killings. My belief is that the whole idea was to spread Islam,” he said.