Guber Polls: Wike Overshadows Amaechi, As APC’s Campaign Director Dumps Candidate, Says He’ll Vote PDP

By Adesina Soyooye

The immediate past Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and Tonye Cole, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governorship Candidate, in Rivers State, suffered a set back on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, when Ikenda Ikechi, Assistant Director, Tonye Cole Campaign Organisation, TCCO, dumped Cole for the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Siminialayi Fubara.

He was not alone. Other APC members who held offices in TCCO, but  dumped Cole on Wednesday in Porthacourt include Lucky Ottos, Precious Awuse, Womodi Wosu, Derek Amadi. Kingsley Orji, and Wilson Wopara.

The turn of events is likely to shock Amaechi who, in the past few days, has been campaigning vigorously for Cole.

Explaining why they decided to vote Governor Nyesom Wike’s Candidate, Ikechi  gave two reasons. First, they alleged that Amaechi, their leader, directed them to vote Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the PDP in the February 25 Presidential election, instead of the Presidential Candidate of their Party, All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, and has not rescinded that directive. Based on the directive, he said, they voted PDP, and would like to continue in the same pattern of voting.

His words: “During the first round of election, the former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, directed Party members to vote the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, against that of the APC, Bola Tinubu.

“Since then, that directive has remained active, not rescinded. It is, therefore, on the strength of that directive  that we salute Rivers people  on their support towards our Candidate, Tinubu, during the last elections.

We commend Governor Nyesom Wike on his stance  in power returning to the South after eight years of Northern rule. We acknowledge the support of the Governor and the people without whom the Party would have, once again, lost the Presidential election in the State as was the case in previous elections.

“In reciprocity and good faith, we align with a leader of the Party (APC), in the State, Chief Tony Okocha, that the Party returns the favour done by the Governor and people of Rivers State.

“We, the youths of APC, Rivers, hereby, without any form of hesitation, endorse and adopt Sir Siminialayi Fubara as the preferred choice of the Party for the Governorship of Rivers State.

“Fubara answers both the question of riverine Governorship as well as in keeping with the principle of power rotation wherein power should rotate to the Rivers South-east Senatorial Zone, the only Zone yet to produce  Governor of our dear State.”

From all indications, it seems that Wike is gradually reducing Amaechi to a nobody, politically, in Rivers State, even in the APC.

In the months running up to the Presidential election, Wike completely overshadowed Amaechi, to the extent that the former Governor was absent at the Presidential Rally of the APC in PH. During the Presidential Election proper, Wike again made Amaechi irrelevant, as he took over and delivered the APC candidate, Tinubu, by hook or crook, allegedly.

The outcome of the Governorship election on Saturday March 18, 2023, will confirm how relevant Amaechi still is in Nigeria and Rivers State politics in particular.