APC Presidential Ticket: What Amaechi did for Buhari that may favour him to get his backing

It made headlines that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has joined the race for President in the forthcoming 2023 election.

Amaechi is one of the close allies and loyalists of President Muhammadu Buhari. He is from Rivers State in the South South zone of the country. Accordingly, Amaechi is from the Southern region where the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC zoned its presidential ticket.

Well, this article focuses on what Amaechi did for Buhari that may favour him to get the President’s backing as far as the race to clinch the presidential ticket of the APC is concerned. What then did Amaechi do for Buhari?

Specifically, Amaechi led Buhari’s presidential campaign in 2015. This is because Amaechi was the Director General (DG) of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organization which spearheaded the campaign then that saw an opposition APC defeat the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Apart from his financial and other supports, Amaechi led the campaign efforts from the front to ensure that Buhari won despite criticisms from some people that he worked against his brother from the same region, that is, former President Goodluck Jonathan.

A saying has it that the reward for a good job is more work. Since Amaechi delivered in 2015, Buhari appointed him the DG of his campaign in 2019 when he contested for second term. Amaechi did not disappoint. He took up the challenge and made sure that he and his team led APC to victory.

Little wonder he was appointed the Minister of one of the most sought after Ministries (the Ministry of Transportation) which controls key agencies like the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) among others. Amaechi was reappointed to head the same Ministry as soon as Buhari won his second term in 2019.

Now that he is contesting for President too, Buhari may back him since he was the one that led Buhari’s campaign and ensured that he won the post of President twice. Luckily for Amaechi, he seemed to be the only one that declared to run for President from South South under APC at an opportune time like this when APC presidential ticket is zoned to the South.