By Emma Obe
The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has explained that he spent most of the money he received as governor of Rivers State from the sale of some of the state’s assets on running the government, particularly in paying contractors.

Amaechi made the explanation on Sunday when he paid a ‘Thank You’ visit to supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Eleme Local Government Area of the state. He also visited five other local government areas.

The minister was apparently responding to an accusation by Governor Nyesom Wike that he spent almost all the $380 million realised from the sale of the state’s assets shortly before he left office in 2015 as governor.

“Are you saying that as a governor we cannot spend over $200 (about N80 billion) dollars to run the government to pay contractors?” he asked.

The former Rivers State governor assured that the APC would win the coming general elections, having learnt lessons from the 2019 elections where it was not able to field candidates.

He said, “We will not allow them do what they did the last time. When they are afraid of election, they will go and use other means. This time, let them defeat us in the election.”

He however told the party faithful that they should go beyond shouting slogans to mobilizing support for the party so that when the party wins everybody would have the opportunity to be ion government.

“You don’t win elections with what you are doing. You don’t win elections with Amaechi Vanguard. What wins elections is to sit at home, house-to-house, door-to-door begging people to come out. Get people out to come and register. Why don’t you come with your voter’s card? On Election Day when we win, we will recognize you when we win. But if you are doing Amaechi Vanguard, NYSC and we lose, absolute rubbish. If we win, everybody; Amaechi Vanguard will get something, NYSC will get something, the party woman will get something, the party man will get something and we will all be happy.”

He boasted that since he joined politics in 1987, he had always remained in power and therefore he had nothing to regret in politics and therefore if APC members in the state did not want to be like political orphans they had to win elections.

Amaechi charges Ministry of Transportation staffers on Buhari’s mandate

“You see the way you are behaving like orphans now. That’s why you need to be in power. You see, there is a difference between me and you. I have not been out of power since I entered politics. I was in NRC, so I was with Rufus (Ada George). We won. After that I was with PDP. When I left PDP, I entered APC. I was also in power. Now, I may not feel the pain you are feeling. The only way that pain can stop is to be in power,” he said.

He promised party members not to abandon them, admonishing them to forget the losses they had in the last elections and move forward.