‘Brother, fellow patriot’ — Atiku celebrates Amaechi on birthday

Former Vice President and former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday celebrated former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on the occasion of his birthday, describing him as a “brother and fellow patriot”.

Atiku, in a post on his X handle, praised Amaechi’s courage, conviction and contributions to Rivers State and Nigeria.

“Happy Birthday to my brother and fellow patriot, H.E. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Your courage, conviction and years of service to Rivers State and Nigeria continue to inspire many across the nation,” he wrote.

The former vice president also prayed for good health, strength and more years of service for the former Rivers State governor.

“I wish you good health, strength and many more years of impactful service to our dear country,” Atiku added.

The birthday goodwill message comes amid the controversy trailing the presidential primary election of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Amaechi, one of the aspirants in the contest, had on Tuesday rejected the outcome of the exercise, describing the results announced from across the country as “concocted.”

Vanguard had reported that the former Rivers governor, who contested the ADC presidential ticket alongside Atiku Abubakar and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, alleged that the exercise was marred by widespread voter disenfranchisement across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

In a statement posted on his verified X handle, @ChibuikeAmaechi, the former minister insisted he would not accept any result from a process that failed to reflect the values of fairness and transparency promised by the party.

“I will not accept results from a process that does not reflect the values that the ADC had pledged to uphold, to rescue Nigerians from the impunity and gross mismanagement that our country is currently facing in the hands of the ruling party,” he stated.

“There’s no way that about eighty per cent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results. Then what makes us different from the others?” he asked.

Amaechi further accused the party of engaging in practices similar to those it had previously criticised in other political parties, including alleged vote buying and manipulation of results.

“A party that criticises the ruling APC and INEC for vote buying, rigging and writing of results, cannot be engaged in vote buying, writing of results, and other electoral malpractices that lead to the disenfranchisement of voters who are party members. This is not acceptable,” Amaechi added.

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