When the 2011 presidential election results were announced, one state’s result stood out. That state had delivered over 1.8 million votes for the then incumbent and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Until Kano State delivered 1.9 million votes to Late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, this was the highest number of votes ever scored by a presidential candidate in a single state in the country’s history.
That state was Rivers State.
The reason was simple; Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was the Governor of Rivers State at the time and served as the Rivers State Coordinator of the Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign.
The background to this vote tally is instructive. Interestingly, the relationship between President Jonathan and Governor Rotimi Amaechi prior to this election was not rosy. This was largely because some internally displaced politicians in Rivers State had latched on to the President and fed him lies about Amaechi. Despite that, for Amaechi, the issue before him was as clear as day – for the first time, a “Rivers son” was at the helm of affairs. For the first time in history, Rivers State had the opportunity to plug itself directly into the center, the possibilities for the development of the state was limitless. Supporting President Jonathan was a no-brainer, and so Amaechi went to work. The job was made easy by the fact that Amaechi’s style of politics is strongly tied to development. It is not based on monetary inducement or violence. He had no need to stop the opposition from campaigning or visiting the state; the people were experiencing people-centered government for the first time in decades.
Critical infrastructure, necessary for the advancement of the livelihood of the common man, was given priority:
– Security issues bedevilling the state were tackled effectively and efficiently.
– Previously unsafe parts of the state became accessible at all times of the day.
– Nightlife returned in full force to the capital city of Port Harcourt.
– Modern primary schools and health centers were built.
– Roads opening up rural parts of the state and linking them to urban centers were constructed.
– Overseas scholarships that saw children of the poor go abroad based on pure merit became the norm, rather than the exception.
Therefore, it was natural for the people of the state to follow his lead. Amaechi’s direction promised prosperity, sustainable progress, and development. His antecedents showed that his word was his bond, and it remains so today.
Amaechi’s goal was to ensure a turnout so massive that the results would never be in doubt. He viewed it as a referendum on his performance and approached it accordingly. In every LGA, critical projects were the fulcrum of the campaign. The people didn’t need to be told, they had seen the progress with their own eyes.
They answered their Governor’s call and came out en masse. The sheer number of people who turned out on the strength of Amaechi’s word was the singular reason the election witnessed such a historic tally. The message was clear, Rivers State must demonstrate supreme confidence in her son.
The outcome was a result so comprehensive that Rivers State, under the Amaechi administration, still holds the record for the second-highest votes won by a presidential candidate in Nigerian history (2011), with Kano under Kwankwaso ranking highest in 2015.
Amaechi’s politics is driven by the interests of the people he serves. It is anchored on efficient service delivery, self-sacrifice, and the desire to bequeath a country that works for everyone, regardless of tribe or religion.
