Though the battle over control of Rivers state come
May 29, 2015 is ideally between the candidate of the PDP, Barr. Nyeso Wike and
his APC counterpart, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, and expectedly tantrums are expected
to be thrown at each other, but members of the public have witnessed what looks
like a diversionary tactis as Wike has engaged Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers
State in a war of words.
Rather than focus on how to move the state forward,
improve on the achievements of Gov. Amaechi as well as offer solutions on areas
perceived as failures by the outgoing administration, Nyesom Wike has prior and
during his campaigns attacked the person of his former boss and political
benefactor, Amaechi while avoiding a direct mudslinging on his real opponent.
At several fora, Wike in what looks like an act of
desperation, has tried hard to convince Rivers voters that Amaechi is corrupt,
a tag which Wike has been labelled by Amaechi and his men as well as some of
those who are now in his campaign train. While the governor whom Wike had
served as Chief of Staff for four years has consistently maintained that the
former Minister is corrupt and a "thief", Wike seems to have realized
how badly his image has been damaged by his former boss.
Though many have argued that if Wike was corrupt as
Amaechi alleged, then why was the governor unable to arrest and prosecute him
for unwanton stealing of Rivers funds. On his own, the Ikwerre-born politician
and leader of the PDP in the state has also asked the governor why he did not
have him arrested.
But at a campaign rally recently held at Isiokpo by
the APC governorship candidate, Drakuku Peterside, the governor had explained
that though he has documentary evidence that Wike stole billions of naira, he
was unable to petition the Corruption-fighting bodies, the EFCC and the ICPC as
"they have become weak and are no longer functional".
While some agree with the governor's position, some
others like the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the state, Prince
Tonye Princewill thinks otherwise as he has accused Amaechi and Wike of having
a secret pact.
But Wike in all his campaigns has struggled hard to
defame the governor, accusing him of being corrupt while he has hardly proved
his innocence. Amaechi accused Wike of stealing over N3bn meant for the
construction of model primary schools for his people of Obio/akpor LGA. The
governor has also revealed that Wike is responsible for the numerous failed
road projects in Obio/Akpor LGA as the contracts for those roads were awarded
and executed by Wike's company, Eazy E. According to Amaechi's Chief of Staff.
Tony Okocha, Wike's successor and kins man, "one of the challenges we face
in the campaigns from our people in Obio/Akpor is that the roads which Wike
constructed through his company, Easy E, have all broken down". The roads
include Rumuepirikom internal roads, Eneka/ Rumuokporu roads, G.U. Ake/ Eneka
road, Rukpokwu/Aluu road, Rukpokwu/ International Market road, Rumuolumeni
internal roads, most of which billions of naira were collected and either the
roads were poorly executed or abandoned. But Wike has thrown the challenge open
to Amaechi and his men, releasing questionable documents allegedly showing the
involvement of the governor and Okocha in corrupt practices. During his
campaign rally at Obio/ Akpor, Wike flashed documents from which he reeled out
figures to prove that he is not the only corrupt person in government. He had
accused Okocha of using his office to siphon the sum of N72m to sponsor APC
members for a program at the Chattam House, London in September 2014. But
Wike's spurious claims were punctured when he dared the challenge of Okocha to
publish the said documents. The documents published in a national daily and
circulated on the social media showed only the sum of N11m in contrast to N72m
as alleged by Wike. The failure of the PDP candidate to prove his allegations
further earned him knocks as many accused him of playing on the sensibilities
of Rivers people with bloated lies.
Many wonder why Amaechi had tolerated the man whom he
described as a thief for four years as his Chief of Staff, before nominating
him for a ministerial position. Wike had also queried why the governor
recommended him to the President as a ministerial nominee in 2011 if he was
sure that he is corrupt.
Sources close to Amaechi say he had advised the President
to appoint him for political reasons but to avoid keeping him where he would
have access to government funds. This was when a petition from the ICPC and the
EFCC allegedly indicted Wike of corrupt practices.
In spite of his arrest on October 6, 2008 by
operatives of the EFCC who detained him over a petition purportedly emanating
from the opponents of the government, Amaechi was not in a hurry to dismiss his
former ally, probably on the grounds that it was politically motivated. His
failure to stop Wike early may have resulted to a full blown crisis which has
pitched members of the same family against each other.
The only member of Amaechi's cabinet who has been
arraigned for corrupt charges remains Wike who was brought before Justice
Ambibola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory Court in Gudu area of Abuja.
He was charged with six counts of stealing, criminal breach of trust, abuse of
office and embezzlement of public funds. The first count accused Wike of
stealing N129m, N41.9m, N100m, N3.5bn. The EFCC had accused him of pilfering
the sum of N4.5b belonging to the Rivers State Government while N4.67b
allegedly went through his personal account at Zenith bank.
Though Wike was able to scale the first hurdle from
the FCT court, subsequent efforts to continue the matter through the Appeal
Court faced a brick wall as Wike had mobilized Rivers Youths against officials
of the EFCC in the state. Besides, there is a subsisting court order obtained
by former governor Peter Odili restraining the EFCC from arresting any official
of the state government.
Though Amaechi is on the last lap of his eight year
tenure as governor, he hopes to install a successor through his party, the APC,
and has gone ahead to endorse the candidature of Dakuku Peterside. While Wike
and Dakuku are members of the Amaechi political family who occupied prominent
positions. Dakuku was the pioneer Commissioner for Works under Amaechi and was
responsible for the design and supervision of most of the roads constructed by
the governor. Though he was the commissioner, he was said not to have the
powers to unilaterally award contracts as that was the exclusive preserve of
the governor.
While Dakuku seems to have chosen the path of
"issue-based" campaign, Wike his closest rival prefers to play dirty
by "exposing the dirty deals" of the Amaechi-led government.
Recently, he has threatened to expose Dakuku if he is pushed to the wall.
Many are of the opinion that the attack on Wike's
person has gravely damaged his reputation long before his emergence as the
candidate of the PDP, and he would require a long time to clear himself of any
such allegations.
Though Wike has tried hard to bring Amaechi to
disrepute but many say Amaechi is not the candidate for the election. For the
former minister, it may be that if he is able to prove that Amaechi is corrupt
also, then it means he has no credibility to choose a successor.
While the PDP is pre-occupied with the mudslinging
against Amaechi who is not his rival at the election, many say it is because
Amaechi is seen as Dakuku's political backbone and any damage done on him will
in turn reduce the chances of Dakuku at the polls.
Wike may also not be oblivious of the strength
of Amaechi who is said to be the 'nemesis of PDP' and the 'passion of Rivers
people'. The Rivers governor who doubles as the Director-General of the APC
Presidential Campaign Organisation is known to be a dogged fighter who will
stop at nothing to win any political fight.
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