Trouble Hits Buhari Campaign, Amaechi, Kyari, Others At Loggerhead
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Loading ...The declaration by President Buhari last month indicating his decision to join the race for 2019 presidential election may have come to the nation as a surprise but the operators within the President’s kitchen cabinet were not as surprised. This is as informational available to 247ureports.com obtained through competent sources revealed that some of the insiders within President Buhari’s close circle had been at loggerheads over the set up and execution of the presidential campaign 2019.
Available information points to the Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi as personally receiving the brunt of the hits from the other personalities within the All Progressive Congress [APC] who are considered the President’s men. This is largely resulting from the choice of Rotimi Amaechi as the campaign Director General [DG].
Bola Tinubu, according to our source, is not at home with the decision to hoist Rotimi Amaechi to the position. Other northern stakeholders are not happy with the decision either. Many of the core northern members of the President Campaign team view Amaechi’s hoist over them as a slap in the face. Especially, the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari who have had many unpleasant run ins with Rotimi Amaechi over his open access to the President.
It is recalled that Abba Kyari had instructed security agents stationed at the State House to escort Rotimi Amaechi out of his office – after Amaechi had bashed into Kyari’s office enraged in anger about Kyari’s interference into his access with Mr. President.
Usually, President Buhari allows direct access to Rotimi Amaechi – sidestepping the chief of staff [CoS] and the then secretary to the government of the federation [SGF]. Both the CoS and SGF were reported to be livid with Amaechi for repeatedly sidestepping the two offices. Many of the files originating from the Ministry of Transport were walked in by Rotimi Amaechi to the President’s desk without either the SGF or the CoS having knowledge of the contents of the files.
This led to the CoS intercepting of the Rotimi Amaechi files where the President had approved for the funding of a project by the Ministry of Transport. The CoS, in the attempts to halt the project, added his comments to the approval. His comments added preconditions to the approval. The preconditions, according our source, were near impossible to meet. Rotimi Amaechi did not take too kindly to CoS’s action.
Mr. President’s attention was called to the squabble between CoS, SGF and Amaechi. The President supposedly resolved the squabble. But the bitterness remained. Amaechi is rumored to have latently aided the exit of the SGF [Babachir Lawal]. Also, Abba Kyari is also rumored to have successfully sidelined Rotimi Amaechi out of the inner kitchen cabinet of the President.
The naming of Rotimi Amaechi as the Campaign DG surprised and angered the CoS and the other handlers of the President. The handlers of the President, as 247ureports.com learnt, protested vehemently against the pronouncement of Amaechi as the DG. Some threatened to leave the team. It took the intervention of the President’s wife to assuage tempers. Her actions helped hold the center together. But the bickering did not stop.
Kyari who remains virtually the closest aide to the President is reported to have joined forces with some top members of the APC to form a unit to battle and/or scuttle the efforts of Amaechi. The appointment of Festus Keyamo as the mouthpiece of the campaign, as 247ureports.com learnt came against a battle with the Kyari led group who preferred a core northerner over Festus Keyamo. It took Amaechi having to pull strings within the Presidency to have his choice at the position.
The manner which Amaechi had designed to execute the campaign is also said to irk the Kyari led group. The Amaechi plan plans to focus solely on the achievements of the President and lesser on the failures of the past administration. Amaechi also wants to work on the South East and South South regions as potential sources of vote banks. But the Kyari groups disagrees. The Kyari group wants more focus on the 19 states of the north and an increased focus on the failures of the past administration.
The APC congresses which is slated for Saturday May 5, 2018 is reported to be plagued with issues associated with unpreparedness and lack of leadership. The ongoing trouble inside the President’s campaign team appears to have affected the APC preparation.
Stay tuned
