Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike have resumed hostilities ahead of next year’s governorship election. The two leaders trading accusations over the worsening security situation in the Southsouth state. Port Harcourt Bureau Chief BISI OLANIYI traces the genesis of the personality clash between the two former political allies and its implication for peace and harmony in the state.
The Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, and his successor, Governor Nyesom Wike, have so much in common. They were former allies in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State. Both are also of Ikwerre ethnic stock. Ikwerre is the major ethnic group in the state and it controls four of the state’s most populous local government areas: Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Emohua.
Amaechi hails from Ubima in Ikwerre Local Government (LG), while Wike, who was the former’s Chief of Staff when he (Amaechi) was governor, is an indigene of Rumueprikom-Port Harcourt in Obio/Akpor LG. Wike was also the Director-General of Amaechi’s re-election campaign organisation in 2011. After he secured his second term, Amaechi recommended Wike to the then President Goodluck Jonathan for ministerial appointment and was subsequently made the Minister of State for Education.
That appointment signaled the parting of ways between the two former political allies, as Wike later teamed up with former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, an indigene of Okrika in the state, to declare war against the then Governor Amaechi. This prompted the former governor and his teeming supporters to dump the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The 2015 governorship election in the state was a major battle between the two political heavyweights, Though Amaechi’s name was not on list of candidates for the election, the Director-General of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation in 2015 contested by proxy; as the candidate of the APC, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, enjoyed his support. Thus, the “defeat” suffered by Peterside in the election, which was marred by violence and massive rigging, was a big blow on Amaechi’s ego.
The two political gladiators have renewed their rivalry ahead of the 2019 elections. The media war witnessed in recent times is likely to resurface later in the year, when the two major parties in the state begin their primaries.
The killing of 22 innocent worshippers on New Year’s Day, after the crossover service in Omoku, the headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LG, which was masterminded by a notorious kidnapper/militant/cultist/killer, Chief Johnson Igwedibia, aka ‘General’ Don Waney, 34, served as a platform for fresh verbal attacks. Igwedibia and two of his lieutenants, Ikechukwu Adiele and Lucky Ode, were on January 6 killed in Enugu, Enugu State by soldiers and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), while their bodies were on January 7 displayed to reporters in Port Harcourt by the outgoing General Officer Commanding (GOC), Division Six of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Enobong Udoh.
When Igwedibia’s mansion, camp and shrines were raided by soldiers on November 20, 2017, 10 human skulls and other human bones, among other items, were recovered, while seven suspects, including two women, were also arrested.
In the morning of January 8, Amaechi addressed the people of Rivers State, as a former governor through a broadcast. In the night of the same day, Wike also addressed the people in a broadcast, where he stated that Igwedibia’s mansion would be taken over by the Rivers government. Igwedibia’s massive terror infrastructure, consisting of a detention facility, an armoury, a shrine and a warehouse for keeping of ransom from victims of kidnappings, was, however, on January 9 demolished by the Federal Government, on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari, to serve as a deterrent to other criminal-minded persons.
In his broadcast, Amaechi had asked Governor Wike to protect people of the Niger Delta state or resign from office, adding that Rivers people would no longer tolerate the governor’s inability and/or refusal to protect defenceless citizens. The Transportation Minister said Rivers people have had enough of insecurity and bloodbath.
Amaechi said: “In the past few years, we have suffered and endured a debilitating state of insecurity in Rivers State. Many lives have been cut short, while many more have been maimed. Hopes and dreams have been dashed, families distraught and destroyed. Murderous cult groups and rival gangs reign supreme. Our once peaceful state has lost its serenity and lustre. We are now being derisively referred to as ‘Rivers of Blood’.
“However, the killings in Omoku in the first few hours of this new year and the uninspiring, inept, blame-game response of a state government that swore to an oath to protect every Rivers man and woman, should collectively compel us to action and scream that we have had enough of the insecurity and bloodbath.
“Some 48 hours after the Omoku massacre, the response of Governor Wike and the Government of Rivers State, whose primary responsibility is to protect you from these kind of attacks, was a gabble blather about a N200 million bounty and to launch another round of attacks on me (Amaechi), because I politely advised them to protect Rivers people or resign from office.
“Like most of you, I was shocked, utterly disgusted to hear the man, who, I must repeat, took an oath to protect you, attempts to justify and casually explain away the cold-blooded murder of innocent Rivers people in Omoku on New Year’s Day. The governor’s attempt to justify and compare the Omoku murders or any other killings in Rivers State to whatever is happening in any other part of the country is a deceitful, poisonous narrative that we must never allow to flourish. The governor’s repugnant attempt at finger pointing, blaming oil companies, opposition politicians and everyone else apart from himself, is a clear indication that he has abdicated his primary constitutional responsibility to safeguard lives and property.”
The minister also stated that the people of Rivers knew and many people outside the state equally knew that the nature and type of insecurity, violence and carnages in Rivers were unique and peculiar to the state. He added: “The madness in Rivers State since the advent of these NEW (Nyesom Ezenwo Wike) men of power is rooted firmly in the witchcraft politics of those who now preside over the affairs of the state. They lack the political will and have devilishly refused to halt the violence and killings, and restore some level of sanity, because of their mischievous politics and voodoo electoral calculations.
“Let no one deceive you with a twisted narrative on the origins, causes and solutions to the bloodbath in Rivers State. Most of you can attest to how I battled and tackled insecurity, when I served as your governor. I led the fight against cultists, gangs, thugs and criminals masquerading as militants. They were driven out from hiding, many fled the state. I was able to do that because I was never in bed with the criminals. I never appointed any into political office or crowned any king.
“The administration I led was able to return Rivers State to serenity, from the horrible state of insecurity and violence we met, when we took over. Rivers people enjoyed peace until the months leading up to the 2015 general elections, when these ‘NEW’ men of power in the state introduced unprecedented violence and killings.”
Amaechi also stated that his thoughts and prayers were with all the people who lost loved ones in the Omoku attack, as everybody continued to pray for the repose of the souls of those who were murdered, while assuring Rivers people that the Federal Government would begin to protect them.
On the other hand, Wike in his broadcast said his administration had zero tolerance for crime and criminality and that it would continue to take measures to protect lives and property. To underscore the seriousness that his government attached to the fight against violent crimes, Wike promised that the anti-kidnapping law would be amended to prescribe the maximum sentence for engaging in cultism, robbery and kidnapping.
Wike, who is seeking re-election next year, said the amnesty programme of the Rivers government generated peace and was largely successful, before it was allegedly compromised by Amaechi, whom the governor claimed, prevailed on the Federal Government and the security agencies to sabotage it. He also alleged that the APC leaders in Rivers worked against his administration’s amnesty programme. He said: “Our decision to offer amnesty to all repentant cultists, militants and criminals was done in good faith and in the best interest of the state. Regrettably, while the programme was on course, some opposition leaders, especially the former governor (Amaechi), unhappy with the successes recorded, dissuaded some armed militants and cultists from sincerely embracing the amnesty.
“Indeed, they also persuaded the Federal Government not to support the amnesty programme and other security measures we had recommended. This is the reason why we must thank the President (Muhammadu Buhari) for doing things differently and with the support of all, a different result has been achieved.
“Instead of showing respect for the dead and genuine sympathies to the bereaved families of the dastardly act (in Omoku), the former governor (Amaechi) prefers to further exploit the unfortunate incident for political ends, by making wild, unguarded and inciting statements against the Rivers State government. We leave him (Amaechi) to the judgment of God and posterity.”
Wike also stated that contrary to the Transportation minister’s claims and posturing, the security challenge in Omoku predated his administration. He insisted that Rivers State was never peaceful when Amaechi held sway as governor and that the same Igwedibia tragically killed 32 persons in Omoku on December 14, 2014 under Amaechi, whom he accused of failing to bring the notorious killer (Igwedibia) to justice.
Rivers APC Chairman, Chief Davies Ikanya, said Wike’s broadcast on insecurity and bloodbath in the state was full of lies and half-truths. He said: “While some of the lies may be ignored at the moment and dealt with at a later date, however, it is manifestly important to immediately prevent unsuspecting members of the public, critical stakeholders and particularly security agencies from being hoodwinked by a frivolous list of supposed cultists and kidnappers contained in the governor’s broadcast.
“The truth has come out. Wike merely compiled names of cult groups opposed to his own gang of killers, names of his hit-men known to have fallen out with him and some APC members, while he is asking for their arrests. Since the broadcast by Wike, many are still asking a plethora of questions. Why did the governor know those persons as criminals, as he claimed and he never did anything since he came into office over two years ago? Why did he not make the names of those individuals available to security agents for arrest, investigation and prosecution? Why were those names kept until Don Waney was killed, before he made them public, less than 48 hours after? Were those names given to him by security agencies? Indeed, how were those names generated? Were they generated in Government House, Port Harcourt or by the police?
“The bravest attempts to answer the aforementioned questions simply confirm the fact that Wike merely want to muddle up investigations by security agents, following the killing of his associate, Don Waney. The governor very well knows that if Don Waney and his boys could be tracked and killed in faraway Enugu, then information from his mobile call logs, text messages, bank accounts, etc. will likely reveal a lot, which may incriminate him or his party leaders, who freely played host to and/or appeared in photographs with Don Waney at various times in the past.”
The APC chairman also called on Rivers people, other Nigerians and security agencies to look beyond the names, made up of either Wike’s opponents or his ‘boys’ that had fallen out with him, while urging security agents to rely on names independently generated by the various security services over time and clamp down on them accordingly.
His PDP counterpart, Chief Felix Obuah, who is an indigene of Omoku, however, lauded security agencies and Wike for ending the senseless and unprovoked killings in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LG. Obuah noted that the governor and the security agencies deserved special commendation for their proactive action and gallantry in bringing to an end, the reign of terror in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LG.
Obuah said: “The visit of Governor Wike to Omoku, sequel to the slaughtering of some worshippers during the New Year crossover service and the promise of a handsome reward N200 million to any person with useful information that could lead to the arrest of the hoodlums, was a morale booster to the success recorded in tracing and killing the notorious criminal, Don Waney, and his gang in Enugu, Enugu State.
“I give security agencies a pat on the back for displaying the highest professional skills in bursting the killer gang, without taking the lives of innocent people during the gun duel between the soldiers and the bandits. The PDP-controlled Rivers State government is prepared to continue to partner and give all necessary logistic support to the security agencies, in their efforts to make Rivers State cult and crime free.
“The euphoria occasioned by the news of the death of the notorious kidnap kingpin, Don Waney, believed to be behind most of the criminal activities across Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LG in recent times, is a pointer that the people had lived in fear and always prayed for the end of the dark period, which has come, with the great feat recorded by the gallant soldiers and DSS officers.”
Obuah also described the killing of Igwedibia and his gang members as God’s answer to the prayers of the peace-loving people Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LG and the bereaved families of the victims. He also urged the security agencies not to rest on their oars until all forms of criminality were wiped out in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LG and other parts of the state.
