A former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has remained uncharacteristically quiet in the political scene of Rivers State even as the rift between his successor, Nyesom Wike, and Governor Siminalayi Fubara enters the phase where political leaders in the state take positions behind the two, Daily Trust Saturday reports.
Amaechi, who served in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari as the Minister for Transport (2015–2023) and governed the oil-rich state between 2007 and 2015, is not a stranger to the predecessor-successor bickerings in the state, as there was no love lost between him and Wike, who succeeded him as governor of the state between 2015 and 2023.
Many observers had noted that Amaechi, who had been the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State since the party’s formation, gradually became withdrawn from the party’s affairs from the time he lost his bid for the presidential ticket of the party to incumbent President Bola Tinubu and after the general elections, when his preferred candidate, Tonye Cole, was defeated by Fubara, who had the backing of Wike.
But after the fallout between Wike and Fubara, many had expected Amaechi and his supporters to take the side of Fubara, owing to the well-reported animosity between him (Amaechi) and Wike. This, however, did not happen as the former minister maintained a deafening silence even as the APC National Working Committee (NWC) dissolved the Rivers APC state executive council, which was loyal to Amaechi, and installed a caretaker committee with members loyal to Wike, who is serving in the federal cabinet of the APC-led government as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
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Eze Chukwuemeka, a chieftain of the APC in Rivers and an ally of Amaechi, had said at that time that the dissolution of the party’s leadership in the state was “part of the ongoing efforts in a series to wane and totally demolish the political influence and legacies of Amaechi in Rivers State. The public should expect more in the coming months as the stage is set for the cabal to publicly display what has been strategically agreed upon behind closed doors.”
He said this was a grand ploy to demean Amaechi. “Things have fallen apart in the party. Some people from the party recently went to meet Wike to pledge their loyalty to him as their leader, although Wike is not a member of the APC,” he said, adding that the entire scenario was meant to spite Amaechi.
This ridicule, many observers noted, emanated from two sides: first, they suggested that it could have been a sort of payback against Amaechi for refusing to withdraw his ambition and support President Tinubu during the APC presidential primary election, where he came in second with 316 votes against President Tinubu’s 1,271 votes. The second reason, which they believe is closely related to the first, was the decision of Wike to work for the success of Tinubu during the general election against Atiku Abubakar, his own party’s (PDP) candidate. Those close to the president believed that Wike unilaterally delivered the 231,591 votes the president got from the 23 local government areas of the state. As such, it was not surprising when the president appointed Wike as a member of his cabinet from the state, contrary to the traditional way of the president’s party producing the cabinet member.
Observers have thus expected Amaechi to take full advantage of Wike’s rift with his estranged political godson and current governor, Fubara, to get back at his former Chief of Staff-turned-political foe.
This is even as Wike’s former ally and former governor of the state, Peter Odili, decided to identify with Fubara in the ongoing fight. Aside from Odili, other political leaders in the state have also taken the side of Fubara in the fight. They include: former national chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus; a former Minister of Transport and the Director General of the PDP-PCC in Rivers State, Dr Abiye Sekibo; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Austin Opera; a former governor of the state, Sir Celestine Omehia; a former deputy governor of the state, Tele Ikuru; Senator Lee Maeba; and former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Gabriel Pidomson, among others.
Surprisingly, however, Amaechi has not publicly commented on the ongoing rift or taken sides. After the 2023 general election, the former minister went back to school, completed his law programme, and was admitted into the Nigerian Bar alongside 4,411 other successful candidates in March.
Like Amaechi, several other leaders of the APC in Rivers State have also refused to comment on the rift between Wike and Fubara, making observers believe the Amaechi faction of the APC in the state may be biding their time. The APC gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 election in the state, Tonye Cole, an ally of Amaechi, has also maintained a stoic attitude towards the development of the state, but Senator Magnus Abe, who earlier left the APC to contest the governorship election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in January announced his decision to return to the APC and said it was only proper to support Tinubu’s administration. He has, however, also refused to comment on the Rivers political crisis.
Amaechi wants Rivers people to be the judge of character – Aide
Speaking with Daily Trust Saturday, however, a media aide to Amaechi, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said that the former governor of Rivers State is not keeping quiet or silent about the political development in Rivers State.
Eze, who spoke with Daily Trust Saturday in Port Harcourt, said that it was wrong to assume that the Wike or his loyalists have taken over APC in Rivers State. He added that it’s an elusive dream to assume that Ameachi has lost out in Rivers State politics.
“That is nothing but an elusive dream, as they lack what it takes to take over the structure of the party in the state. Forget about the so-called APC; they know that they have lost the battle for the soul of the party in the state as all their plans are falling down like the cards.
“In answer to your question on what Amaechi is doing, to the best of my understanding, it is to bring to light the statement that ‘silence most of the time is golden and that silence at times is louder than much noise’.
“For a clearer picture, Amaechi has played his politics in Rivers State for over 24 years, and in the same vein, Wike has also played his own politics for 24 years in Rivers State. What Amaechi is doing is allowing the people of Rivers State and the entire Nigerian population to compare the politics and personalities of these two characters and then determine who is a better leader to lead the state in 2027.
“I will suggest that we just be calm and watch out for the scenario. Wike can’t take over APC when he is the greatest enemy of APC in the state; he never knew how it was formed, so what he is currently doing is the type of politics he is well known for, which will come to nothing in a few years.
“In conclusion, Amaechi is the soul of Rivers State politics, and neither Wike nor anybody born by a woman can dislodge him, no matter the evil machinations or plots. Those who have followed Wike sheepishly have come to understand the political blunder they have committed and are in the process of retracing their steps. It is also not in doubt that Fubara is the current governor of Rivers State, and nobody will deny him that. Amaechi, as a peaceful and patriotic fellow, can’t work against the state or her governor.”
Another associate of the former minister, who pleaded anonymity, said Ameachi is a man of high principle and does not give in to flippant talks.
He said Amaechi was busy all this time with his law programme and was just called to the bar.
“He is fully aware of all the political activities in the state and will talk at an appropriate time,” he said.
The immediate past Publicity Secretary of APC in Rivers State, Darlington Nwauju, said Amaechi has always been wary of taking on issues pertaining to his former staff and will always maintain that disposition.
“He supported someone else against Wike in 2015 and 2019 for reasons Rivers people and Nigerians are now beginning to ask his (Amaechi’s) opinions. What else will he say that he didn’t say before? Asking where he is in the current fight for the soul of Rivers State will be most unfair to him.
“As per the talk of Wike’s loyalists taking over the APC in Rivers State, we leave that to the courts to decide,” he added.
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