Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State must brace up for more trouble from the opposition in the days and months ahead, if the threat, yesterday, by one of the forces against him, is anything to go by.
Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, boasted at a reception for him in Port Harcourt that he is ready to make life even more uncomfortable for the governor who is locked in the political battle of his life with the Presidency and his party (PDP), at the state and federal levels; the State Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu and the Police Command; the Minister and his five supporters in the State House of Assembly; ex-militants; as well as other political forces from within and outside the state.
The reception also doubled as a grand finale of the inauguration of units of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI) in Obio/Akpor LGA of the state.
Wike is the grand patron of GDI.
“We will make sure they will not sleep again, as they are sleeping now. They will not sleep with their two eyes closed. One eye will be open because they know there is danger,” the minister said, 24 hours after Amaechi told a delegation of Niger Delta Bishops who are trying to resolve the political crisis in the state that Wike remains a minister today by “the grace of God” and his (Amaechi’s) effort.
The governor’s words: “Nyesom Wike was appointed Chief of Staff by me. Nyesom Wike as a Minister of State, I nominated him. I was under pressure by the President to drop him, I refused. The President persuaded me to drop him and bring a woman but I refused.
” I heard he is going all over town saying I didn’t appoint him, I didn’t appoint him, the President appointed him but I nominated him to be a minister as the Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum. I did, but you know character doesn’t come easily, character is a very difficult thing and I am a man of character.”
But in what looked like a response to the broadside fired at him on Friday by Amaechi, the minister said yesterday that the governor and the 27 members of the State Assembly on his side have not had enough trouble occasioned by their April 22 suspension of the Obio/Akpor Local Government Council.
Wike, who is aspiring to replace Amaechi as governor in 2015, hails from the local government area. He was a two-term chairman of the council.
The minister, speaking at yesterday’s rally, said: “They said we are nobody. Then they have seen. When you are dealing with nobody, be careful. The nobody will show you that he is somebody. We will make sure they will not sleep again. As they are sleeping, they will not sleep with their two eyes closed. One eye will be open, because they know there is danger.
“Those who are saying they must remove me, I have even overstayed. For you to be minister for two years, you must thank your God. If today we are no longer minister, do not worry yourself. It will not change us. We will continue to fight for what we believe in.
“We were not minister when we fought for them in 2007. When we were here, they were not having problems. Now, we have gone, they are having problems.
“We have always told them: you cannot do it. What you do not know, you do not know. It does not matter, whatever money you have, money cannot buy everything. Now, they are having sleepless nights. When we were here, were they having sleepless nights?
“When we were here, were they not travelling up and down? Are they travelling again? Tell them, they should come and beg us. Tell them to come back and beg us. We will tell them the secret. What God has not given to you, you do not need to do anything about it.
“I can assure you, all they are asking for: they want a commissioner of police that will be arresting you. Anytime they call the CP, he will arrest you. But let me tell you, we are not interested in whoever comes here (CP), all we are interested in is to have somebody who will not be partial.
“Let them bring whoever they want to bring (as CP).We want somebody who will want democracy to be practised in Rivers State. They said one man, one vote. Now, they do not want one man, one vote again.
“Obio/Akpor LGA is not a place you can toy with. Those who feel they can suspend Obio/Akpor council officials, we will make them uncomfortable. They felt once they had dissolved the council, they would sleep.
“The party has suspended them, because they have touched the lion and when you touch the lion, you know the consequences. Since they said the councillors will not take their salaries, they also will know that they will not belong to the PDP.
“The party chairman (Chief Felix Obuah) warned them and they said he would not be able to do anything. At the end of the day, they are going to court to challenge us. We will meet them in court. We are not afraid of the court. We are accustomed to it. All the ones they have gone, we have been winning them and we will continue to win them.
“They are doing everything they can. They are using their power and their money. Money cannot solve all problems. Sometimes, you have to come back home and realise that the people matter a lot. It is the power of the people that has put us in positions and you must come back to thank the people.
“Forget about what they are doing to you (his supporters). Do not worry. We are all together. Do not lose hope. God is on the throne.”
Wike said the suspended Chairman of Obio/Akpor LG, Mr. Timothy Nsirim, who also attended the rally; his deputy, Solomon Eke, and the 17 councillors have been denied their salaries since April, but said that is part of the sacrifice to make democracy survive.
The minister asked the people of the state to continue to support President Jonathan and the party.
He urged members of the GDI, in particular, to go to all the wards, communities and families in the state not to abandon President Jonathan and his wife.
Wike added: “Your duty as GDI members is to go and mobilise the entire state for our son (Jonathan), eventually when he decides to run and we believe the people of the Southsouth zone cannot sacrifice, for whatever it is, our own son, for anything less than President.”
Factional Chairman of the PDP in the state, Chief Felix Obuah, pledged at the function to reconcile Amaechi, Wike and other aggrieved members of the party in the state.
Obuah said: “I want to invite the governor (Amaechi), the minister (Wike) and all aggrieved members of Ikwerre community, to be with me in my palace next weekend. Let us sit down and fashion a way forward. I will not sit down and see my children quarrelling, and I will not feel concerned.”
A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, described Obio/Akpor LGA as the home of the GDI and the PDP, stressing that “anybody standing on your way is standing before a moving train and will be crushed.”
The President-General of the GDI, Bright Amewhule, in his remarks, stated that President Jonathan would be supported to return in 2015 and that they were solidly behind Wike.
The ceremony is the latest by the anti-Amaechi camp in the state.
Similar ceremonies by pro-Amaechi groups are routinely disallowed by the police, prompting observers from within and outside the state to accuse the police leadership in the state of taking sides.
A rally scheduled for last Tuesday by civil rights groups to protest what they called anti-democratic tendencies in the state was not allowed to hold by the police.
Some militants even threatened that the lives of some of those expected at the rally were not safe should they come. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Are you God?No wonder education sector is not working bcos of diverted attention by those in "charge". I advise my boaster to channel all those political efforts to resolve the crises in his ministry.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that we are being ruled by group of unintelligent people. This Wike and even GEJ are thugs/terrorists. This man should not be walking freely on Nigeria's soil if we have to be considered civilised
ReplyDeleteO boy'is like dis man don made befor,wike stop smoking malijuna.
ReplyDelete@ writer: you wrote that similar pro- Amaechi ceremonies are disallowed, no. This is a reception, not a protest or solidarity march on the streets. Honestly, do you think Amaechi's continued rhetorics and speeches are that of someone who wants peace? For the sake of peace and to fulfil his duty as Governor, shouldn't he just humble himself,I mean just swallow his pride for peace of his state? Humility is what is holding this impasse. Just humble yourself Amaechi, people will respect you more.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I am concerned,Nigerian politics should be given another name. Because everythig about politics is about people. What we the people think is supposed to be of primary concern to politicians,bcos if we don't think well about them,they loose. In this country it doesn't matter what we think about them,that's why they do whatever they like,say whatever they like,use public funds how they like,etc. Some statements are just irresponsible,should a responsible government official throw a whole state into jeopardy just to satisfy his vindictive tendencies. Our political system needs a purge,serious one.
ReplyDeleteThis minister think he is a god but forget that God can decide to take his life to end all the crisis confronting the state because from his statement, he is the one promoting the crisis in the state.
ReplyDeleteWe know where you are coming from. Tell him to humble himself and see the problems over
DeleteThe education sector is dead, yet this man is going about fighting and organizing thugs to disrupt peace in the country. Why is Jonathan keeping this thug as a minister? He should be arrested for advocating more unrest in Rivers Stste.
ReplyDeleteWike is an efficient education minister! He is doing his work efficiently.....I have seen him put contractors on their toes and he is delivering......lots of projects at all the unity schools are almost completed, over 100 almajiri schools is completed and soon will be handed over to the goverment.....universities have lots of infrastructure projects being built inspite of what ASUU wants the public to believe,the just want more....and the goverment is about to launch a 100 billion naira infrastructure projects In all universities in nigeria.
ReplyDeleteWike is not a bad man, he is just playing dirty politics which his opponent is encouraging....he wants the seat of amaechi and he has to use all means available to him.....Both amaechi and wike all have ambitions and are playing dirty politics! Good luck to them.
Jonathans administration will go down in history as the government that celebrated "IMPUNITY"! What a government of random illegality. PDP chairman called Obuah is even the fake one, NGF cahirman called Jonah Jang is also the fake one, Minister of satae education is busy performing like functions of a sitting governor while the CP of the state is performing the functions of IGP? Wike will, shall never be my governor. If he succeeds by illegal means, people should make his administration ungovernable for whatever a man sows that he shall reap!
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous 8:38, you are talking like a moron, rubbish!!
ReplyDeleteHumble himself with who?
Is Amechi having problems with people or GEJ is the one having problem with he Amechi?
You should know by now that Amechi is more powerful and recognized than GEJ besides, GEJ is only rubbishing himself by waging worthless war on innocent Amechi through the quasi Education minister called Wike.
We are watching but remember, history is said to be a record of past event.
You are living in a fool's paradise to ever imagined in ur memory that Amaechi is powerful than GEJ! Powerful for what, where?. Because of selfish support of some section or gangsters of the north? or the APC?. When u come back to the earth you will realise that you were fooled and by that time it would have been to late for u and ur fellow sojourners. GEJ and the SS all the way to 2015! Thats the reality.
DeleteNyesom Wike and his cohorts in this macabre dance has shown to all Nigerians that they are charlattans who do not deserve to be anywhere near the corridor of power.The most disheartening of all is their lameduck,weak and incompetent godfather in aso rock who is ready to set the entire country ablaze in the name of pursuing a second term agenda.We shall see what happens in 2015.
ReplyDeletewike let me bring back the past b4 u, in Oyo state a thug impeached the governor at the watch of Obasanjo. after a while the governor was installed and the thug was killed by his people during power tussle, amechi did not suspend the local exco by himself alone but the voice of people "legislatures". you are not God why the begging, have u forgotten what God did in Ibadan to Eleweomo, if u don't know ask, or Abacha. be guided
ReplyDeleteEven the Don of all Mafia Corleone never issue treats like this cos he knew what the consequences would be. But here in NIja, with Uncle Joe at the TOP, Hooliganism and Agberolism is the palm wine with which they eat their kola. It’s no longer patience its broda Wike a man who is suppose to be the embodiment of education and civilization. Touts under Lagos bridges do not threaten ppl like this anymore. Sorry to say STATE OF EMERGENCY should be declared NIGERIA.
ReplyDeleteAll those mgbati mgbati people that have Lagos as their London and do not know anything about the outside world. Please know it now that Amaechi's problem is himself. Wike was his henchman that he used to perpetrate all atrocities. There is no honor amongst thieves. When EFCC came for Wike when the going was good Amaechi did and said all sorts. Now the going is bad they want us to believe them. Only God will judge them. Tonye Port Harcourt.
ReplyDeletethis platform should not be to insult one another, u cannot be totally wrong or right, u are entitle for your opinion and we view things differently, your stand point will determine your view point. Be guided
ReplyDeleteThis MUMU WIKE abi na WIKED! ASUU dey STRIKE & U get TIME to make RIVERS UNGOVERNABLE. WIKE, GOOD LUCK & ROTIMI una want to SPOIL RIVERS abi? Na SANGO, EGBE ELIGWE, OLODUMARA & THUNDER go FIRE una.
ReplyDeleteFOOLISH POLITICIANS. RUBBISH!
wicked man! u shall never succeed in dealing with Amaechi.
ReplyDelete