2023: Gov Lalong says Amaechi will reap from Plateau because he made him governor

Kingsley Chukwuka

May 22, 2022 9:58 AM

Lalong said the former Minister single-handedly made him Governor when no one believed in him.

APC Presidential aspirant, Rotimi Amaechi and Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State (Plateau state govt)

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has said the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi will get all the APC delegates' votes from Plateau State, saying it is time for him to reap from the State.

Lalong said the former Minister single-handedly made him Governor when no one believed in him.

He said because of the support he has enjoyed from Amaechi, he will not support a northern candidate in the coming 2023 general elections, adding that no northern candidate jostling to become president today has ever supported Plateau State before and after he became governor.

Lalong stated this at the weekend when Amaechi visited Plateau, seeking to woo APC party delegates' votes in the coming party Presidential primary election.

The governor said, "You invested in Plateau State, that is why you are going to reap in Plateau State. You were my Minister at the Federal Executive Council. Most of the approvals you saw from the President, it was Amaechi that was pushing for us. Everything that was discussed about Plateau State at the FEC he would be there, he would discuss it, if it is approved, we will get it. Amaechi was our Minister not minding that he is from Rivers State. We got almost everything.

"He was the only person that stood by me when the PDP threw me out.

"In 2014, we were in PDP, we were chased out. When APC came, we were running around, we wanted to join APC, many people that are today coming to Plateau, said they would not admit Plateau people into APC.

"I ran round, you were in PDP, you said we should go and join APC, and we came back to join APC, they were chasing us round, you gave us the support to do registration. When we registered and we were going into the election, many people that are Presidential aspirants today, I went to all of them, I said we have APC on the Plateau and they said ‘no we will not go anywhere. when they put up the question for registration, nobody gave it to us, even in Northern Nigeria.

"That is why I stand on the fact today in my State that because of what you did, I will not support a Northern Candidate. I remember what you did when you came to APC, you said we must do more registration because you said you believed in President Buhari and you took five other Governors and came to APC, that was when we were allowed to come in as APC members.

"You assisted each of the Northern States to do registration for the APC and we updated our registration. When we came back to Plateau to contest the general election, nobody supported us, but you did. I was the Governor and I was a candidate but you said no, as a friend, I like Plateau people and I must do my best. You invested in Plateau people and out of nowhere, we won the election. Not only myself, we have many members in the House of Assembly, we have members in the National Assembly. Something that nobody gave to us, you gave to us".

Our correspondent reports that the Governor and Plateau delegates have unanimously adopted Amaechi as the sole candidate for the 2023 Presidential primary election.

Kingsley Chukwuka