Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has asked the former head of state and presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC to interact more with people of other faiths to dispel the erroneous notion that he is a religious bigot.
The governor stated this when the presidential hopeful paid him a courtesy visit in Port-Harcourt to intimate him on his ambition to take another shot at the presidency.
Buhari said his insistence on ruling Nigeria was to secure the nation and its people as well as guarantee the future of the coming generations. He is expected to formally declare his presidential ambition at Eagle Square, Abuja.
Amaechi said, “Those who describe you as a religious bigot do not know you. Frankly, I used to think that way when I was in the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, but all that changed when I joined the APC and had the opportunity to relate with you very closely. You are a politician that is truly detribalized in the true sense of the word”.
“I remember the question you asked me while we were discussing the problems of Nigeria and the erroneous impression some people have about you as a religious bigot. And you asked me: how can you and Obasanjo had been tribalistic at the time both of you served in the Nigerian Army? Having related closely with you politically, I can say confidently that you are a nationalist and detribalized Nigerian”.
“The problem that you have in politics which I have come to observe, is that those who managed your image in the past did not manage it properly. They allowed the erroneous label of you being a religious bigot to stick. Let me take myself for example, if you accuse me once, I accuse you 20 times and then go to the media to tell them my own side of the story”.
“As you can see, most of those who have come to welcome you to government house are Christians. The percentage of your supporters in Rivers State who are Muslims are not more than 10 per cent. So, you can now see that the majority of your supporters here are non-Muslims. It is evident that your support base in Rivers state is not based on tribal sentiments. As for us, you are a detribalized Nigerian nationalist”.
“Now, you know that Christians like you. I hope that before the elections, you will have the opportunity to interact with many more Nigerians to enable them get to know you better and appreciate the ideals that you canvass and represent. We know that you want the best for Nigerians”.
