Preamble

The urge and need to embark upon this treatise titled, “WIKE AND AMAECHI: WHO’S SATANIC AND NEEDS PSYCHIATRIC ATTENTION? AN INSIDER’S INPUT’ became compelling and imperative when I read some of these sad and unfortunate headlines in the media – “Amaechi is a Lucifer, psychiatric patient – Wike”, “Amaechi is Diabolic, He is A Devil – Wike“ and “Amaechi Is Satan, He And His Boys Should Go For Psychiatric Test – Nyesom Wike” – all of which were attributed to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State recently about his mentor, predecessor and benefactor, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and incumbent Federal Minister of Transportation.

According to Wike in his unguided outbursts, “You are all aware that the Acting President came and held a stakeholders’ meeting with all of us, irrespective of affiliations. Even the Minister of Transportation was there. But, as you know, a chameleon will always be a chameleon and you know Satan will never sleep. Lucifer will always stay awake. Anywhere Satan sees light; he will always want to turn it into darkness. Just because the Acting President decided to stay in Rivers state, Lucifer went on rampage. I had no problem with the fact that Prof. Osinbajo wanted to hold a meeting with his party members. They are all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but I was surprised that a meeting they tagged APC stakeholders meeting turned out to be something else. They left what they gathered for and started making demands for the people of Rivers State. Who sent them? If I were them, they should go for psychiatric test. I have never been treated by a psychiatrist. I don’t even have one as my doctor, but when your personal doctor is a psychiatrist, then you should know there is a problem. I don’t want to talk about what his (Amaechi) boys (Dakuku Peterside and Magnus Abe) were saying but, I was happy for one thing. I was happy that the Minister of Transportation could not believe his eyes when he came into Government House. It was like a paradise. When he came to the Presidential Lodge, he couldn’t believe it and he entered my car, my BMW 7 Series with the Acting President”. What a comic and unfortunate statement from a fellow occupying the exalted position of a Governor of a State?

According to records, let me explain what prompted the need of the meeting of APC stakeholders with Prof Osinbajo: Wike and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders that gathered to act as if they were the only recognised organ to speak for Rivers State people ensured that the APC stakeholders were denied entry to the Rivers State Government House, during the assumed stakeholders’ meeting with the Acting President, Prof Osinbajo, coupled with the fact that APC’s banners and signposts welcoming the Acting President to Rivers State were all destroyed by Wike and his boys.

Under this situation, one can only applaud the doggedness, sagacity and wisdom of Rt. Hon Amaechi in initiating the APC stakeholders’ meeting with the Acting President, who is of the APC extraction at, least, to ensure that the positive side of the demands of Rivers State people are tabled and discussed. Most of the needs of the Niger Delta region tabled before the Acting President in both forums were needs that Wike, in collaboration with some of these misguided PDP leaders, killed during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan. I will discuss this further later in this treatise.

Although one can’t fathom why the meeting by Prof Osinbajo with Rivers’ APC stakeholders could be a reason for Wike to berate his mentor and benefactor with such harsh and derogatory statement, calling him Satan, diabolical and psychiatrist, but sadly, this is not the first time that Wike will utilise any opportunity to abuse and run down Amaechi before his cohorts, associates and the general public. At times, one wonders if Wike was actually prepared for governance or he just found himself in the government house, unprepared and at a loss as what to do, except on how to run down Amaechi for recommending him to former President Jonathan as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

For Wike to call Amaechi - his mentor, benefactor and whose influence in his life is not in doubt – Satan is not any issue that can be swept under the carpet, just like that. It is probably on this that Israelmore Ayivor stated, “Do not rush to judge someone unless his/her fruits reveal the truth. However, don't forget; mostly, it's not the fault of the tree to produce bitter fruits. Sometimes, the soil determines that; blame the source! Deal with the soil! Don't deal with the tree! Other trees are there that the same soil can influence! Don't deal with your enemy, deal with the Satan that sponsors them”. It is based on the need to reveal the truth or otherwise of Wike’s stand that prompted this research, of unearthing between Wike and Amaechi, who is actually satanic and psychiatric.

Wike and his cohorts copied the speech of Amaechi on why he joined APC, to present to the Acting President during his visit to Rivers State.

Reading through what Wike and his cohorts presented as the needs of Niger Delta region before Osinbajo, I don’t know whether to cry or to laugh at the characters of our so-called leaders from Rivers State. Read through - what Amaechi stated at the height of his persecution in the hands of Wike and some of these funny PDP leaders in 2014 - and then judge for yourself why these people can’t be said to be serious minded fellows. The desperation of the PDP leadership to completely destroy Amaechi led to his departure, alongside six other PDP governors, to form the New PDP, with five of them later joining the opposition parry, APC, to dislodge PDP from the centre. I was privileged to be the spokesperson of this group then. But let us hear what Amaechi said, which Wike and his misguided group shamelessly reproduced and presented before Prof Osinbajo as the needs of Niger Delta region: Explaining why he joined APC, Amaechi said:

“Unfortunately, recent events within the PDP have given me reason to reconsider our collective interest as people of the South-south and, indeed, as Rivers people. At various times, as the one whom you gave your mandate, I had cause to complain about the marginalisation of our state and our people, despite our huge contribution to the national coffers and our unflinching commitment and support for the ruling PDP. While the political and economic importance of Rivers State cannot be contested, we continue to hold the shorter end of the stick.

A few instances may suffice: Our demand that the Federal Government return oil wells belonging to Rivers State to us has gone unheeded and been treated with levity under this administration. Rather, our oil wells have been ceded to Bayelsa, Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Even after we got a judgment that the oil wells were wrongly ceded to Akwa Ibom State and should be returned to us; only dry wells that were no longer producing oil were returned.

In the specific case of the Soku oil wells, despite a decision reached that the monies should remain in an escrow account till all matters concerning it are resolved, the Federal Government continues to pay neighbouring Bayelsa State the revenues meant for Rivers State, in a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is, indeed, noteworthy that we have made several representations formally and informally on this matter.

A second instance is the total absence of federal presence in Rivers State. The ‘National Good Governance Tour’ provided a good opportunity for the Federal Government to showcase its presence in Rivers State. The tour, if nothing else, proved that there was not much to show in a state that is the cash-cow of the federation. The East-West Road remains abandoned, work has been deliberately slow on the Port Harcourt International Airport, the third busiest airport in the country, while all airports started along with it have long been completed and commissioned. The Bonny-Bomu Road that leads to the only functional liquefied natural gas project remains uncompleted. In the midst of all these, our administration went ahead to fix federal roads to the tune of N103 billion. Several representations and letters after, not one kobo has been repaid. The Federal Government is actively discouraging investments in Rivers State.”

Let me reiterate that apart from all the listed attacks against Niger Delta region because of his hatred for Amaechi, Dr Jonathan took the proposed biggest dockyard in Africa meant for Bonny in Rivers State to Lagos State. When he lost the election, he revoked the project that was already 40 per cent done. He equally stopped the implementation of the cleaning up of Ogoni land, renovation of the Port Harcourt International Airport as well as repair of major federal roads in the state. To Wike and his misguided Rivers State PDP, Dr Jonathan is the hero of Niger Delta, while Amaechi is a villain!

What Amaechi is to Wike

To understand this article better, the need to explain the relationship between Amaechi and Wike at this juncture becomes imperative. As a close associate and one who has worked under the two leaders, I am ably qualified to speak on the two. Both are of the Ikwerre extraction in Rivers State. From 1999 to 2007, Amaechi was the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly; an office he used to lobby and influence the election of Chief Nyesom Wike as two-term executive chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, one of the richest LGs in Nigeria. While Amaechi was the chairman, Council of Speakers’ Forum, Wike was chairman of the local government chairmen’s forum in Nigeria.

From 2007 to 2015, Amaechi was the Governor of Rivers State, with Chief Wike as his chief of staff from 2007 to 2011. Besides, Wike was the director-general of the re-election campaign organisation of the then governor Amaechi, which he executed satisfactorily. As a result, Amaechi nominated him as a minister to represent Rivers in the Federal Cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan.

From the above, it should be very clear that Amaechi was the leader of his political dynasty, with Wike assisting him, accordingly. But reading and observing what is coming from Wike against his erstwhile boss and mentor, one may not look for a better definition than what David Levithan said: “It was a mistake, you said. But the cruel thing was, it felt like the mistake was mine, for trusting you.” Reading what Wike is doing to rubbish and ridicule Amaechi, after all that he did to assist him in his political life, Amaechi would be regretting the very day he set his eyes on this man that has turned a monster, ready to devour him.

Contrary to the lies in Wike’s interview with the Sun Newspapers, where he stated that he never wanted to be Governor of Rivers State, but the revelation that his ambition to succeed Amaechi as the governor of Rivers State actually started from his days as chief of staff to Amaechi maybe shocking to most political watchers. But the fact remains that while Amaechi was busy providing dividends of democracy to the people, Wike, on the other hand, was busy undermining him and using the connections and goodwill of the Rivers State Government not only to station his men in strategic positions in government, but to empower most of them financially through award of contracts, initiation and other means. He tested the ground of his ambition when he was appointed director-general for the re-election of Amaechi as governor of Rivers State in 2011. He ensured that only his men were appointed to strategic fields to serve as key mobilisers at the grassroots’ level.

By the time he was appointed minister of state in the Ministry of Education – based on the recommendation of Amaechi to Dr Jonathan – Wike went further with his gubernatorial ambition plot by forming the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), a political pressure group he used to deceive the public, that it was formed to assist in the re-election of then President Jonathan. But, in fact, the outfit was formed to pursue his gubernatorial ambition. He used the outfit to formally recruit his foot soldiers for the battle ahead. This body was heavily financed and motivated, and its presence was established in all the constituencies of Rivers State.

It was this group that he used to dislodge over 11 key Peoples Democratic Party members that wanted to contest the 2015 governorship election under the PDP platform. Those that wanted to play games were properly beaten up and molested at the party’s national secretariat at Abuja. Before this time, Wike, based on political exigency, tactfully suppressed his gubernatorial ambition from public view. Instead, he offered himself as a tool to spearhead the political battle between Jonathan and Amaechi. He gave everything within him to execute this, with the PDP ticket as a target.

Plot against Amaechi

Genesis of the creation of and manufacture of the in-fight with Amaechi, by Jonathan and Wike, stemmed from claims and rumour developed and spread around by members of their camp to win the hearts of Niger Delta people to their devious plot. That is, that the then Governor Amaechi will contest the office of the president or vice-president, with a candidate from the northern part of the country in 2015, thereby truncating the second-term ambition of President Jonathan who is from the same geo-political zone (South-south). This strategy sold like wild fire in the region. And, based on this evil assumption, Jonathan, using Wike as a tool, created the type of Rivers State and Niger Delta region where lives make no meaning, and the economy of the nation is being destroyed.

Hostility by Jonathan, Wike against Amaechi

Despite Amaechi’s show of love to former President Jonathan, in order to humiliate and annihilate him politically, the following steps, among others, were adopted: A private jet of the Rivers State Government was grounded for no just cause; the PDP structure in Rivers State was taken away from Amaechi; his election as chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), which was duly certified and widely acknowledged, was annulled by President Jonathan and his cohorts; he also supported the destruction of the once vibrant NGF by supporting 16 governors against 19. Besides, on May 27, 2013 Amaechi was suspended from the PDP, a party he so much loved and spent so much to build. They followed this up with his expulsion. Indeed, if not for divine providence, he would have been illegally impeached by five legislators -(Chinda, Kelechi Godspower Nwogu (Omuma), Evans Bapakaye Bipi (Ogu/Bolo), Martins Amaewhule (Obio/Akpor I) and Victor Ihunwo (Port Harcourt III) - who were loyal to the then minister of state for education, Nyesom Wike, in a House of 32 members. Jonathan withdrew the security details attached to Amaechi. As if these were not enough, the ex-president used state power to prevent Amaechi, then a sitting governor, from reaching Ekiti, in the South-western part of the country, to support the re-election of Dr Kayode Fayemi, because they were in the opposition then. Above all, a Police Commissioner, Mr Joseph Mbu, was posted to Rivers State to haunt, harass, torment, insult and abuse Amaechi publicly.

Wike and Amaechi, who is satanic, diabolical and psychiatric? Be the Judge!

Chief Wike has shamelessly proved that his one single futile project: is to run down his predecessor, mentor and benefactor, former governor Amaechi, which he has carried out so religiously since he was erroneously declared the Governor of Rivers State by the Supreme Court at the expense of over hundreds souls of Rivers State people who were slaughtered in a bid to install him. Observers of the politics of Rivers State could have noted that since his assumption of office as the Governor of Rivers State on May 29, 2015, he has only emphasised and embarked on carrying out this sinister single agenda by throwing caution to the wind and there is nothing in the book of propaganda, dirty politics, blackmail and falsification of records that Wike has not employed and deployed in his desperation to drag Amaechi’s name to the mud. Apart from commissioning a commission of inquiry with the sole agenda: investigate, condemn and find Amaechi guilty and, if possible, arrest and imprison him. And to his chagrin, this kangaroo commission could still not found Amaechi culpable or wanting in all aspects of its investigations. Wike went ahead in his frustration to issue a white paper indicting Amaechi of corruption, without any recourse to the findings of the panel of inquiry set up in this regard.

Wike, through the then infamous CP Mbu, heartlessly dispersed 13,000 teachers who gathered to receive their employment letters, aided the five renegade lawmakers to attempt the impeachment of the then speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, barricaded and sealed the State Assembly for one legislative year, and even blocked the access road to Government House on one occasion, preventing Amaechi and his visitors from using the road. Wike, with the backing of the then First Lady Patience Jonathan, ordered his thugs to stone state governors who visited Rivers in solidarity with Amaechi, for the humiliation he suffered under the watchful eyes of then-President Jonathan. Wike later used the Police and the Army to forcefully break into the newly-constructed stadium, just to prove his powers.

Wike’s desperation to drag Amaechi’s name in the mud, in order to frustrate his nomination or appointment as a minster, made him (Wike) to sponsor a satanic documentary on Amaechi, aired on Africa Independent Television (AIT). This documentary was part of Wike’s propaganda war against Amaechi, for which he earmarked billions of naira in his plot to destroy the person and character of Amaechi. Other propaganda tools planned and deployed during this period, in the war against Amaechi, include sponsored publications such as advertorials, columns, editorials and Op-Ed articles in major international, national and local print media; sponsored personality discussion programmes in the electronic media and sponsored special documentaries on television and radio through independent groups and organisations.

Other insidious plots by Wike to undermine Amaechi include commissioning a team made up of persons within and outside Rivers State to initiate, formulate and contrive false, damaging reports bordering on alleged corrupt practices by Amaechi, which were circulated to individuals and institutions within Nigeria and abroad, with a view to damaging the character and rising profile of Amaechi; in order to blackmail and put pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari not to appoint him into his government. These cooked reports, to the shock of many Nigerians, was sent to the Senate and presented through one misguided Senator Thompson Sekibo, which the Senate referred to its Ethics Committee. This caused the delay in Amaechi’s screening and confirmation as a minister. Amaechi has through both the immediate past Secretary to the Rivers State Government, George Feyi, and the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Chamberlain Peterside, and others denied any form of corruption against him by Wike and his cohorts.

Wike did not stop at these, but went further to set up Justice George Omereji Panel, to investigate the administration of ex-governor Amaechi. Though the panel did not found any wrong-dealing, or corrupt practices by Amaechi, Wike went ahead to issue a white paper indicting him of embezzling the sum of N53 billion. How on earth can someone in his right senses describe funds withdrawn with the approval of the legislature and spent as prescribed by the state budget to be missing? Wike, in his desperation to stop Amaechi’s appointment as a minister, resorted to dancing naked in the market place.

But, as God will have it, and contrary to the expectations of Governor Wike and his gang of ingrates, their ferocious campaign to blackmail, disparage and portray Amaechi as a very corrupt person unfit to be appointed as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria failed to achieve the desired objective. On September 30, 2015 President Buhari went ahead to list and submit Amaechi’s name, along with 20 other Nigerians, as ministerial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.

And to the shock and chagrin of Wike and his cohorts, the Senate, after three sittings on the screening of the ministerial nominees, screened Amaechi on October 22, 2015 and formally confirmed him on October 29, 2015. He was subsequently sworn-in with the 35 other ministers on Wednesday November 11, 2015, by President Buhari, who as a further mark of confidence in the ‘Lion of Niger Delta’ assigned to him the strategically important Ministry of Transportation.

What President Donald Trump of USA and Senator Modu Sheriff, PDP national chairman said about Wike:

When Trump, a world political leader and current President of the United States was told about one Wike from Rivers State, he sighed and in demonstration for his repugnance for most of the political actors in Rivers State expressly stated: “One of the key problems today is that politics is such a disgrace; good people don’t go into government.”

While to Sheriff, “I will engineer a restructuring of the PDP such that characters like Wike and Fayose cannot find a way through to attain any position of prominence in our party in the future. They have brought shame and agony through the application of their crude and godless politics, which is at variance with the principles upon which our founding fathers built our great party. We must find a way to sieve things so that only men of character and integrity can come through for positions of responsibility at all levels of our political engagement in the country. We must urgently steer the ship of PDP clear of the path of infamy which Wike and Fayose has brought our party, making Nigerians to mistake PDP as a training ground for thugs. I advice Fayose to resign immediately as the chairman of PDP Governors Forum, a thug cannot lead our governors. That is the urgent task we have. We cannot continue to advertise thug brand and expect Nigerians to take us seriously.”

Amaechi reacts

Ameachi said his sin against many people in the South-south and the former president was supporting a Muslim candidate from the north. His words: “Our offence was supporting a Muslim. Not only that, our offence was supporting a northerner. What they failed to realise is that money does not know ethnic group; the stealing the current president is fighting cut across the whole nation; it is not the South-south people that stole the money, every part of the country stole that money. But it was under the supervision of a South-south president, and we are watching.”

However, one thing Wike and his strategists fail to understand is that President Buhari is already aware of their desperation to victimise Amaechi, and also knows the politics of Rivers State as he knows his fingers. Therefore, their evil plot is an exercise in futility.

To throw more light on the level of betrayal by Wike, Amaechi – on February 15, 2014 at the thanksgiving service held in honour of Senator Magnus Abe (who had to be flown to London for further medical treatment) in Bera, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, after surviving the January 12, 2015 bullet shot by policemen during the inauguration of the pro-Amaechi’s Save Rivers Movement (SRM), at Obio/Akpor LG chapter – said: “Wike used the names of his children to swear that he would not betray me. He told the congregation that a notable cleric earlier prophesied to him not to nominate Wike as minister, that he would betray him at last. I believe in prophecies. Apostle Suleiman said I should not nominate Nyesom Wike as a minister; that he would not only betray me, but would try to destroy me. When I confronted Nyesom Wike, in the presence of Chima Chinye, he swore with his children that he would not betray me. Any man that swears with the lives of his children is a wicked man. He does not appreciate those children at all. People who do not have character, you don’t give them political power. Nyesom Wike, Dakuku Peterside and Magnus Abe are among those I helped that passed through our friendship.”

Amaechi added that he intervened and assisted Wike to secure second term tenure, when the people of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area vowed to deny him a second term as chairman of the council over alleged disrespect for elders, arrogance and poor performance. “What is his political history? Without the rest, God did them through me?”

Rivers PDP affirms Amaechi’s ‘Sins’

Supporting the attack against Amaechi, Rivers PDP, through Mr. Felix Obuah, the factional PDP state chairman, in a press statement stated: “We are, however, shocked that Amaechi, who has shamelessly brought so much insult to the people of Niger Delta, is playing a major role in pushing out the son of the Niger Delta as the president of this country, in preference for his new-found love, and killer of his kinsmen (no thanks to the military invasion of Rivers State) will, against all odds, be nursing the ambition to launch a come-back to the region, after inflicting so much pains and agony on the people.”

The Rivers APC, through its State Publicity Secretary, Chief Chris Finebone, reacted as follows: Much more than that, the statement, in some ways, underscores the nexus between the hurting of 2015 election to wailing wailers, the spate of destruction of oil installations by the Avengers and other restive youths in the Niger Delta, and the recent blowing up of Shell trunk line to Bonny Export Terminal. Little wonder the PDP in Rivers State fails to see the need for peace, which the Abuja meeting was meant to bring about in the Niger Delta. Is anyone still wondering those behind the ongoing bombing and bursting of pipelines in the Niger Delta? It is sad that an individual that sold his soul to Satan and connived with Wike to steal a political party structure in broad daylight could muster the courage to talk about betrayal. What betrayal can be more than that exhibited by a man that was shot and left to die, but was rescued and flown abroad to save his life. The same man turned around later to bite the hand that God used to save him. Indeed, Obuah should not forget to tell his children the true story of his miserable life.”

Who’s Amaechi?

Amaechi is an enigma that defies description. His erstwhile deputy, Engr Tele Ikuru, who seems to know him better than most of us, tried to give an insight into who this man is when, during the seventh anniversary of the Supreme Court judgement that brought Amaechi to power, stated: “Today, we have come to celebrate a resourceful leader, a dogged fighter, a political enigma, a change agent, people defender, transformer, catalyst, trailblazer, phenomenon of our time, His Excellency, the Rt Hon Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, the executive Governor of Rivers State. A leader whose word you can take to the bank. A trusted friend and ally, a man who stands by his friends and confidants, both in good times and in times of difficulties and challenges. A man of conscience who does not hide under the veil of circumstances to betray his friends and allies; a compassionate leader whose love for the development of the state and its people has no parallel. A sincere and honest leader, who rather than cart away the commonwealth of Rivers people entrusted to his care, has diligently applied it to the development of the state to the admiration of the true Rivers people and even his traducers. A visionary leader who knows and sees his people first.” I don’t know if any other person can beat this definition of the enigma known as Amaechi.

To Victor Nwokocha, a renowned social commentator, “Wike’s very best, can never equal, not to talk about surpassing Amaechi’s sterling, innovative, radical, trend-setting and absolutely revolutionary records as Rivers State Governor. Take it or leave it, Amaechi remains a hero of global reckoning”.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I am counselled by Isaiah 33:1 “Woe to you, O destroyer, While you were not destroyed; And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.”; and by Michael Bassey Johnson who stated: “When the devil wants to punish his worshippers, he uses the trick of karma.”

Finally, Senator Abe, representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, summarised this treatise when he described Wike as uncouth in public speaking, and his comments as embarrassing to every Rivers man. Reacting to a statement credited to Governor Wike, who described his predecessor, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi as Lucifer, Satan and chameleon, Abe said such foul language ought not to come from a governor of a state, despite their political differences, although the governor has a history of incivility in public speaking, for the fact that he is a governor should make him weigh his words, the import and the connotation to his image, before speaking. It was unfair for the governor to call the minister unprintable names, for accompanying the Acting President to Government House, Port Harcourt. But if Wike should refer to Senator Abe and Dr Dakuku-Peterside as Amaechi’s boys, he (Wike) should also refer to himself as Amaechi’s boy, because he is what he is today by virtue of serving Hon Amaechi, as it was on that strength that he became a local government chairman, chief of staff and, later, appointed a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

I have nothing else to say than to ask the reader to decide who, among Wike and Amaechi, is satanic and needs a psychiatric physician.

•Eze Chukwuemeka Eze is a Media Consultant based in Port Harcourt and can be reached through ezemediaconcept2020@gmail.com and 08038199163

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