Assistant Editor (South South), JOE EZUMA, locates the Chibuike Amaechi/Nyesom Wike face-off in line with what seems to have become the trend in Rivers politics.
The end may not be in sight in the tussle between Rivers State administration in Port Harcourt and opposition indigenes abroad known as Abuja politicians. The development, which is becoming the trend in the state’s politics, started with face-off between former Governor Peter Odili and his successor, immediate past Governor Chibuike Amaechi. Odili, incidentally, was Amaechi’s benefactor
The regime of mistrust continued through the brief period of Celestine Omehia through to Amaechi’s administration during which he had issues with former President Goodluck Jonathan, and his wife, Patience, from Abuja flank, and Nyesom Wike at home. Wike, was before the impasse, Amaechi’s staunch supporter.
The forces of acrimony appear still at play as Wike, the new helmsman at the Rivers Government House, and the camp of Amaechi, now prominent in Abuja, renews hostilities, literally throwing missiles at each other.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state fired the first salvo in the renewed offensive when its chairman, Felix Obuah, spoke on what he described as “the deplorable condition of the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt, and liaison offices in Abuja, Lagos and other places”.
Obuah deplored what he called “monumental looting and outright mismanagement of resources and facilities by the out-gone Amaechi administration”, calling on Wike to do everything possible to recover the loot and bring perpetrators of the acts to book.
He blamed the poor state of facilities in the complex for the delay in the use of the Government House by Wike and his aides, expressing fears on the possibility of the complex being ready for use in the next three months.
Obuah further alleged that all official vehicles used by Amaechi and aides in Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja were either stolen or vandalised.
Amaechi takes offence
Amaechi has, however, reacted to the allegations, accusing Wike of making false claims. He accused the governor of harassing, blackmailing and threatening officials of his administration with intention of raising false claims of corruption against them.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), David Iyofor, the former governor dismissed the issues raised by PDP as mere concoctions that cannot be substantiated.
“Wike’s provocative utterance is another cheap smear campaign and ploy to siphon billions of naira from the state treasury under the guise of renovating a ‘vandalised’ and ‘looted’ Government House.
“Wike had gone to ridiculous and absurd lengths to show his imaginary claims of vandalism and looting in Government House in his bid to vote billions of naira for renovation of the place.
“The question to ask is, did Wike know what was in my former bedroom before now, to conclude that the bedroom was looted? Did he speak with or review with the Permanent Secretary of Government House, who is the chief accounting officer, before jumping into such hasty and misguided conclusion?” he queried, stressing that the governor was acting from a pre-conceived notion.
APC joins the fray
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state also dismissed the allegation of massive looting of Rivers Government House, describing it as a decoy by the new administration to dupe the state.
A statement by the state’s publicity secretary of the party, Chris Finebone, had stressed: “It has come to the attention of the Rivers State chapter of APC that care-taker governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has commenced his several schemes to dupe Rivers people, one of which is to orchestrate an imaginary looting of Government House, Port Harcourt, by the officials of erstwhile government of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
“Initially, we thought it was some stunt by the renowned stuntman, Nyesom Wike, and his motley gang. However, it does appear that the caretaker governor is set to pull a fast one on the people of Rivers State quite early in his numbered tenure.”
The party called on Rivers people to resist being hoodwinked by Wike, stressing that he will soon be thrown out by the tribunal sitting in Abuja.
Watchers of the latest developments approach the unfolding drama with grave concern. While some argue that Amaechi should know the limit of power struggle with a sitting government, others advise Wike to avoid unnecessary distractions and concentrate on the task of fixing the state.
One of the frontline politicians in the state, who spoke with TheNiche off record, expressed concern on why it is difficult for Amaechi and his party to borrow a leaf from Jonathan who accepted defeat even before votes were fully counted and congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari. He maintained that Jonathan’s attitude to politics had paved way for Buhari to concentrate on programming the development course for the country, instead of fighting at the tribunals and courts.
Until the impasse in the state began to take turn for the worst, the Amaechi administration was virtually being seen as the golden period of Rivers governance in the light of its ambitious developmental endeavours that projected the state among the fastest developing economies in the country.
The turning point, however, was when Amaechi entered into a long-drawn battle with Jonathan and his wife on one hand and Wike and other local political elite on the other.
