The incumbent Minister of State for Education, Hon Nyesom Wike may have bitten more than he could chew with his current face off with the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
The ugly development has taken front pages of newspapers on many occasions and has portrayed the state in bad light amongst watchers of events.
While the minister is said to be doing the biddings of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, Amaechi was suspected to be nursing an ambition to vie for the position of the vice-president of the country along with Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, who is rumoured to be interested in becoming the president.
This is seen as a wrong move as President Goodluck Jonathan is interested going for a second term in office.
Amaechi’s moves, sources said rattled the presidency, which is now said to be fighting him from all fronts and is using his kinsman, Nyesom Wike, who Amaechi actually nominated for the position he is presently occupying, against him.
The altercation between the two gladiators got to an embarrassing state that culminated in the polarization of the state house of assembly with five members of the 32-member assembly supporting Wike, while the rest are in the camp of Governor Amaechi.
The matter degenerated into a brawl, when Wike’s supporters made moves to impeach the Speaker of the House against the constitution of the country, which recommends that such could only be carried out by a 2/3 majority members of the House.
The Majority Leader of the House, Hon Chidi Lloyd is currently facing charges in court over the fight, which followed the botched impeachment on the floor of the Rivers State House of Assembly on July 9, 2013.
Chidi Lloyd, who represents Emohua constituency, allegedly used a fake mace procured for the failed impeachment bid against the legitimate Speaker of the legislative House, Hon Otelemaba Dan-Amachree, to hit Hon Michael Okechukwu Chinda, representing Obio/Akpor II Constituency of Rivers State during the fracas, which was witnessed by Governor Amaechi, who raced into the venue to prevent his removal from office.
The rest is now history as the functions of the House has since been taken over by the National Assembly as the House has been suspended until further notice.
Sources revealed that Wike has been a proponent of Ikwerre North and Ikwerre South political divide. He has been pushing that Gov Amaechi is from Ikwerre North and it will be the turn of his Ikwerre South after Gov Amaechi’s tenure of office.
“Is it not why Wike is fighting Amaechi so that he will take over, but using the presidency as a cover? Is Wike not thinking that all the residents of Rivers State are optimally stupid and that he can fool everybody? We can see that Wike is not fighting for the public, but for himself. So, Wike can be seen as a fake apostle of ‘justice’ and ‘truth,’ said a source.
The duo of Wike and Amaechi were reportedly brought together by politics in 1998/1999 under former Governor Peter Odili, who ruled Rivers State from 1999 to 2007.
‘In 1999 and 2002, Wike became the Chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA by the help of Amaechi, when the administration of that time wanted to shortchange him for someone else for the plumb job at the Obio/Akpor LGA. Amaechi was Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly then.
“Governor Amaechi might not be 100% good. But he was elected and, the minister was appointed. So, you can see where the problem lies: Lack of loyalty. Any appointee who challenges the authorities of his or her employer would be seen as a ‘small boy or girl’. You cannot say because you helped the owner of a company to erect the structure, therefore you are equal with the owner when the company becomes functional. Yea, friendship cannot be forgotten, but in an instituted organization where there is hierarchy, there is also protocol,” a source submitted.
Wike is said to be so much interested in power that he has vowed to fight Governor Amaechi from all fronts.
According to him, “I don’t owe anybody any apology. Whatever God has said must come to be. For those who think that they have the power, they never knew that their own way is not God’s way. I want to say come August 31st (yesterday), I am going to lead PDP delegation to the convention in Abuja with the PDP chairman where we shall formally vote our brother to be the Deputy National Chairman of our great party, PDP.”
The Minister was quoted to have said that he would not stay in Abuja while some people were frustrating the people of the state and his ‘boss’, President Goodluck Jonathan.
He added that he would continue to yield to calls by the state’s PDP chairman to reconcile warring factions of the party.
“The Last time they invited me for peace talks, I came. Again, he is inviting us. I believe I will come. I am a loyal party person. I am a man of peace. I believe in peace.
“Let me state very clearly, you might have been reading in newspapers that people are saying this and that. Truly, they are not sleeping because they are restless. Today you are hearing one comment. Tomorrow you are hearing another comment. If they are sleeping, will they be making comments like that. If you don’t want people to have their siesta you will not have your siesta,” he had said.
Some observers of the ugly development in Rivers State said last week that Wike might not find his ambition easy he has once been indicted over corruption allegations by the nation’s anti-graft body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The EFCC had arraigned Nyesom Wike few years back, when he was the Rivers State Chief of Staff, before an Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Abimbola Banjoko in Gudu district of the Federal Capital Territory over allegations of N4.670 Billion fraud.
The suit No. PHC/1712/2008 was taken before the High Court of Rivers State of Nigeria in the Port Harcourt Judicial Division Holden at Port Harcourt before Hon. Justice C. Uriri (Judge) High Court 6.
Wike was arraigned on a seven-count charge of criminal breach of trust and conversion of public funds totaling N4.670 billion belonging to the Rivers State government.
The offences, according to the EFCC as contained in its charge sheet were in contravention of sections 315,309 of the Penal Code, Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Counsel to the accused, Lateef Fagbemi, had withdrawn his written application for bail only to apply for it orally.
The presiding judge, Honorable Justice Banjoko granted the defense counsel’s request to withdraw the written application.
Justice Banjoko thereafter granted bail to the accused in sum of N50million with two sureties in like sum.
The sureties must provide evidence of bonafide residence of Abuja and must have title deeds of landed properties.
They must also provide three years tax clearance certificate, swear also an undertaking to ensure the appearance of the accused to trial.
They must submit three passport photographs of themselves and their international passports to the court.
One of our sources revealed that majority of the people of the state are not happy with the state of things in the state and are pointing accusing fingers at the Minister, who they said is causing problems in the state and has put it in the forefront for the wrong reasons ‘because he wants to be governor in 2015.’
They maintained that Wike was behind the crisis between Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the nation’s First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, who is from Okrika Area of the state. They said that the woman used to have a good relationship with the governor and his wife until Wike allegedly allowed himself to be used to fight the man that helped him achieve several political feats.
First Weekly Magazine.
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