Finally, Wike Explains Why His Allies In Rivers State Parted Ways With Him

By Adesina Soyooye

“Austin (Opara) said he wanted to run for Governorship, and I called him and said to him, my brother, it will not work. You will be a hard sell after Amaechi and I” – Wike

Nyesom Wike, Rivers  State Governor, has, finally, publicly, explained why he and his allies in the State parted ways.

During Wike’s first term in office, the months running to it, and the greater part of his second term, the Governor was very close to a number of high profile members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. They campaigned with him. He worked with them. When he won, they stuck to him like glue. They went everywhere with him. They attended all his functions. Then, suddenly, everything went awry.

The high profile members included, but not limited to: Senator Lee Maeba, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sir Austin Opara, former Transportation Minister Dr. Abiye Sekibo, and a former, but sacked, Governor of the State, Sir Celestine Omehia.

Most people, especially, in Rivers State, and within the PDP,  were shocked at how they parted ways. It was bitter. It bordered on hatred. Wike, using his executive power, as he would put it,  “peppered them” . He stripped them of all positions they held both in the Party and his Government. He stopped all patronages.  A couple of them, the businesses of their relatives and friends were affected.

The most hit was Omehia.

Omehia was sacked as the Governor of the State by the Supreme Court, in favour of his cousin, the immediate Minister for Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi. For the eight years Amaechi was Governor, he did not recognise Omehia as Governor. But when Wike became the Governor, apparently, on his instruction, the House of Assembly recognized Omehia as a former Governor and gave him all the rights and privileges due to a former Governor. On the part of Wike, he gave him a State award reserved for only former Governors of the State – Grand Service Star of Rivers State, GSSRS.

But as soon as he and Wike disagreed, he was not only stripped of all the privileges and the State award, GSSRS, he was asked to refund the hundreds of millions of Naira he had received so far in pension and gratuity.

Now, Wike has, finally, told the story of his bitter parting with his allies. He spoke to the Council of Rivers Elders when he hosted them at his private residence in Porthacourt to mark his 55th birthday.

He said his parting with them stemmed from the offices they wanted to occupy in 2023 to which he told them it was unfair, and wouldn’t work.

For instance, he said he told  Austin Opara that it would be unfair for another Ikwerre man to be Governor after 16 years of Amaechi and him, Wike.

His words: “I called Austin (Opara), he sat here, and I said, ‘look my brother, leave it, it will not work. I don’t want to cause crisis in our system. Amaechi finished eight years as Governor, I am going to finish eight years as Governor too.’

“It will be difficult to sell another Ikwerre person as Governor for another eight years.

“Omehia said he wanted to go to the Senate, I said ‘leave it, Ikwerre has gone, Ogu has gone, leave Etche to go.’

“You people said I should go to the Senate. I said, I won’t.

Allwell (Onyesoh) could not have stopped me.

“Yes, today, we are majority, you don’t know what tomorrow will be. I never did anything to undermine anybody. We must understand that.”

The Governor denied that he imposed the PDP Governorship Candidate, Sim Fubara, on them, and said it was a collective choice. He said there was an agreement, and promised to make it public. “When O.C.J. Okocha comes back, we will publish the agreement signed by all.”

On fears that the crisis could deny the Party of victory in 2023, the Governor laughed it off, and said: “We will win. I am not running for election, but I am running an election. My name is not on the ballot but I am running an election.

“You will hear what is going to happen. Everybody don’t panic. It is something God has given to us.”

His estranged political allies are all working for Atiku, a situation that angers the Governor no end.