Just in: Amaechi joins 2023 presidential race

By Our Correspondent

Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, has declared his intention to run for president in 2023.

Amaechi declared his presidential bid on Saturday at an All Progressives Congress (APC) event in Rivers state.

The minister said he would contest the party’s presidential ticket to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I stand before you today to declare my intention and submit my application to serve as your next president,” he said.

Simon Lalong, Plateau state governor; Adams Oshiomhole, former APC national chairman, and Ali Ndume, were some of the APC chieftains present at Amaechi’s declaration.

The minister’s declaration has finally put to rest the speculation about his presidential ambition.

Before now, support groups have been calling on him to join the presidential race.

Earlier in the month, The Secretariat, a group of concerned Nigerians, endorsed him for the 2023 presidency.

The group had said the minister has the “intellect, experience and worth ethic” to move Nigeria forward as president.

“Amaechi is both a distinguished public servant and a consummate politician. Even his success as a minister overseeing the high-profile ministry of transportation, owes as much to his deep understanding of politics as to his impressive managerial capabilities,” the group had said.

“In a politically charged and complex nation like Nigeria, there is real value in having a politician at the helm. Someone who is able to navigate the murky waters of partisanship, who has the experience to foresee challenges before they arise and who simply knows how the game is played.”

But when asked in an interview on Arise TV on March 25, a day before the APC national convention, about yielding to the call to run for president, Amaechi said, “the people that want me to run for the presidency in 2023 should just give me the money”.