Roots of the conflict
Amaechi, it was learnt, had injected life into a hitherto toothless forum which before their time was just a mere formal organization of strange bed fellows which at that time could only bark but had no power to bite, especially under the presidency of the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
After several postponements and intrigues, the election was eventually held with the Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, confronting Amaechi at the poll. At the end, the Rivers State Governor was declared the winner in a very controversial circumstance, scoring nineteen against Jang’s sixteen votes. This development threw the President off-balance while attending the African Union (AU) meeting in Dar es-Salam. This led to the formation of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum (PDPGF), with the Akwa Ibom state governor, Obong Godswill Akpabio, emerging as its pioneer chairman. The ensuing crisis in the Governors Forum became so severe that other governors began to almost undermine the efficacy of the office and position of the President by consistently throwing tantrums at the slightest opportunity ever. It generated to an extent where the aggrieved governors with few other angry members of the PDP then staged a physical walk out on the President at the Eagles Square in Abuja during the mini convention of the party last year. While some of the Governors and other members of the National Assembly who dumped the PDP out of frustration had since returned to the party with the new national chairman, Alhaji Ahmad Mua’zu, doing so much to appease aggrieved minds, Amaechi has resolutely stucked to his guns and is ready to do a serious battle with the PDP and, by extension, President Jonathan, using the sword of the APC.
The oil war
Known as a man who does not join issues with people even when it matters most, Jonathan was accused of punishing Amaechi by “forcefully” taking away the Kula oil well allegedly belonging to Rivers state to his own state of Bayelsa. Another forty one oil wells were also taken from Etche local government area of the state and given to Abia state. Oil being a big factor, even in international politics, has always been an issue in the Nigerian context. In Obasanjo’s regime when the then Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Obong Victor Attah, posed a serious challenge to the President over the on-shore/off-shore dichotomy question to the extent that the former won the case in the Supreme Court over the federal government, oil well politics was adopted by Obasanjo as a punitive measure.
As much as one hundred and forty seven oil wells belonging to the state were taken to Rivers state. Some more were taken to Cross River state and the effect of this was overwhelmingly pronounced in the economy and income of Akwa Ibom state. Attah had to go to court and the anomaly was resolved in favour of the state. So, people had expected that while the case was in court between the Rivers state and the federal governments over the Kula oil well, somebody should have restrained from beating the drums of victimization until the court decides otherwise. Amaechi had told a handful of party faithful in Degema local government area of the state recently that Jonathan was not his brother, “he is not my brother; he is from Bayelsa and I am from Rivers state. If he was my brother he would not have taken our oil to Bayelsa state,” he said. He would go on to tell the people to vote out PDP because it was a corrupt party with corrupt government that has impoverished the people. “Let him (Jonathan) point at one thing that he has done in Rivers state. The only crime we have committed against the President is that we gave him two million votes in 2011”. The governor went on to allege that “Stealing is increasing by the day, but President Jonathan said there is no corruption in the country. Corruption in Nigeria is uncontrollable. People are stealing our money every day and the police is helpless because they are part of the system. “The Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said Nigeria is not broke and if she is saying that there is money in the country, let her pay us our debts and our money. She said, the shortfall in revenue does not mean that Nigeria is broke. When Commissioners of Finance converged in Enugu, almost everybody left without money, how then can we define being broke. She is an expert economics, let her tell Nigerians how our money is spent and where our money is, because the matter is getting serious”, Amaechi said. Amaechi blamed the failure of some roads in the state on the attitude of some federal government officials whom he said were awarded contracts and absconded with the money while the job is abandoned. He said that the Rumuolumeni road construction project was awarded to an indigene of the area and described Nyesom Wike as a Minister who was incompetent. “I told the people of Rumuolumneni that we have awarded N1.5 billion for their internal roads and have also paid the indigenous contractor who is from the area the sum of N700 million. We said, Rivers money for Rivers people, because they don’t have capital. This man took the contract and gave it to a man who now wants to be governor. This man that is been backed by Mrs. Jonathan gave N250 million to the indigenous contractor and disappeared with N450 million without constructing the road. And this is the man who wants to be governor, with billboards screaming the concept of New Vision. “What kind of vision is that for a thief? They have been thieves for too long so it cannot be new vision. The only thing that is new is that he has industrialized stealing. The former Minister of State for Education in a radio interview said, he ‘shedded tears’. Everyone knows there’s no word like that. “
An ever-expanding face-off
It will be recalled at this point that Wike was Amaechi’s Chief of staff for four years. While he lasted in that government, there was no time he was indicted of stealing government money or abandoned project awarded to him. Somebody may say that if this could happen to the former director general of Amaechi’s campaign organization in 2011, then some of those who are still in government today must have raked the government treasury empty. Turning the tide against Patience Jonathan, the governor reminded the students of the Ignatius Ajuru University on the role his administration played to stop militancy in the state while assuring them that the Rumuolumeni and Rumpirikon roads will be completed. “Remember, when I became governor, I fought militancy. Right there where you built a new house, there used to be a hole where they pass into the river and escape. The security report reached me and I came here and chased the militants away. I asked them to fence the school premises and block that hole. I have to protect you because, it is my responsibility. He said that some of the militants went to Lagos, Ivory Coast, Ghana etc. “Today, they are back because the wife of the President brought them back to protest against me. I refused to give them money in Abuja because, if I do that, I won’t be able to carry out any development project or finish the road from Rumuolumeni to Rumuepirikom. The quarrel between me and the wife of the President is because she said I should bring your money, Rivers people money and share with her”, Amaechi explained. Only last Saturday during the APC rally at the Adokie Amesimieka stadium, he boasted that he was more popular among the people than President Jonathan may think. “This stadium is 40,000 sitting capacity; I built it. It was built by me. One of them campaigning for governorship was the contractor to do the roads. He abandoned the roads and took N3 billion and left. Now, he wants to be governor. A thief will not be our governor. “I challenge them to an integrity test. Any of them from Abuja to Rivers State, I challenge them to an integrity test. I have worked with them; I have their records and they (records) are in the Office of the Governor”.
Wike joins the fray
Wike had responded severally that if the governor makes good his boasting to dust up his records when he was the chief of staff, “I will shock the world with his dossier. I was the chief of staff. I had access to documents. I will exposed his evil deeds”, Wike noted. The immediate past minister was also quoted as saying that if he was a thief while in government and he was not exposed of stealing government money, “it means that I was working with a bigger thief”. In view of this development moreso as it concerns public funds, the civil liberty organization, CLO, Rivers state branch has volunteered to steer a platform for both men to come out for a public debate on their integrity.
“Following the challenge thrown last Saturday to the Federal Government and the PDP in Rivers State by His Excellency, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, for an integrity Test and the Challenge thrown back to the governor by the former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, for a public debate on corruption, the CLO in Rivers state offers its platform for the said debate which has become mandatory giving its expected impact on our people and the political rights and future of our land”.The said public debate has become necessary given that that both parties have consistently asked for the opportunity, to wit; the public has been inundated with allegations and counter allegations of corruption and embezzlement of public funds and abuse of office with claims on both sides of documentary evidence. The Rivers state government has however come out to deny ever insulting the person of President Goodluck Jonathan at any point in time. Speaking through his Commissioner for Information, Ibim Semenitari, Amaechi denied ever mentioned the name of the President in any of his statements. He blamed Dr Rueben Abati, Presidential media aide, for dragging the name of the President in the fray. It will be recalled that Jonathan in the statement had assured Amaechi that he would “pay for all his sins”, accusing the governor of inciting the people against the federal government. Felony. The current politics in Rivers state in the face of an upcoming elections will be more competitive as to who leads the state next if the truth behind the outgoing administrations both at the state and federal viz a viz transparency and accountability is well laid so that the innocent electorates will properly employ their stake in the polity and position themselves on how to put the incoming administration to task for maximum performance. “As a measure, we suggest the venues as Obi Wali International Civic Centre or the Alfred Diete Spiff Civic Centre main Bowl or any other venue and date during this instant period, most suitable for parties. “Both parties will provide each one an independent moderator along with the CLO in partnership with other Civil Society organizations, the National Orientation Agency and the Media. “The Media and the security agencies are hereby put on notice about our offer to provide a platform for a public debate for Governor Amaechi and the former Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike following their request for it”, CLO said in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Livingston Wechie.
Looking towards 2015
No doubt, the on-going integrity crisis involving the quartet – Amaechi, Wike, Jonathan and his wife, Patience, will have an immense impact on the forth-coming election. Amaechi has boasted over time that PDP will never win Rivers state and national elections. He has incited the Kalabaris so much so that it has now become obvious that he may likely choose a Kalabari candidate for the governorship. This is to win the sympathy of that part of the state. But the question is, what happens if the PDP resolves its ego problem and goes ahead to also choose a Kalabari person for the governorship, will APC still stand a chance of winning the state? One can only guess. It is clear from inside source of the PDP that if an agreement is reached in a way that Wike decides to step down, then it is most likely that Dumo Lulu-Briggs will automatically step into the race. Information has it that Dumo is richer than the entire Niger Delta state governments put together. He has the best of connections in and outside Nigeria. He is well educated and is a young man. He comes from the Kalabari extraction with a fantastic parental background. These are the sterling qualities that are in high demand by the Rivers state people for the next election. Surely, next year’s governorship election in Rivers state will therefore be won and lose on the platform of a mind game. Until it happens, postulations and permutations will continue to be the epicenter of every action.
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