By Charles Igbo
On Saturday, December 24, 2022, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike was at his boastful best.
He boasted, publicly, that he led the battle which sacked Sir Celestine Omehia as the Governor of Rivers State in 2007.
The Governor spoke when he inaugurated the Omagwa Aluu road, Omagwa in the Ikwerre Local Government Area on Friday.
The immediate past Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi, had, thanks to his now estranged political godfather, Dr Peter Odili, the incumbent Governor then, won the Governorship Primary. Amaechi was the Speaker of the House of Assembly, then, again thanks to Odili. But in a twist of fate, then
President Olusegun Obasanjo denied Amaechi the ticket, and insisted that Amaechi’s ticket had “a k-leg.”
Obasanjo did not explain how, but he asked the party to find a replacement to Amaechi. Enters, Omehia, who is reportedly Amaechi’s cousin.
While Omehia expectedly won the election, Amaechi was in Accra on self-exile. But he went to Court to challenge his disqualification by Obasanjo. The case went on to the Supreme Court. And in one of the most intriguing judgments in the political history of Nigeria, Omehia was sacked, and an order was given for Amaechi to be sworn-in as the elected Governor of the State.
The political upheaval in Rivers State today was planted by Obasanjo’s role in the disqualification of Amaechi. Before then, all the characters in the epic battle were “Odili Boys.”
While some of them fought on the side of Omehia, Wike and a couple of others fought on the side of Amaechi. When Amaechi was sworn-in, he appointed Wike as his Chief of Staff in appreciation.
For the records, Wike and Amaechi are very bitter political enemies now.
Gone with Omehia, when he was swept out of office, were those who backed him. They included some of the political heavy weights in the State – the Abiye Sekibos, the Austin Oparas, the Uche Secondus,and more.
However, they backed Wike when Wike and Amaechi were fighting, and swept into office with Wike.
Again, for the records, Wike has fallen out with all of them over their good political ties with the Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, a man whose name Wike does not want to hear since he defeated Wike at the Presidential Primary, and by-passed him in favour of Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate.
While lashing Secondus, former National Chairman of the PDP who Wike installed, and later removed from office, Wike took a shot at Omehia and those he tagged “Abuja politicians.”
He told his audience at Omagwa how he sacked them from office in 2007.
Wike: “What most of you didn’t know is that all these people who ran away to Abuja have never worked with us. I led the team that kicked them out of office in 2007. Yes, I have no apology to that.
“In 2014, inspite of the fact that I was the one who fought for the structure of the Party, most of them sabotaged me at the back to run for Governor against me.
When they saw that there was no hope, there was nothing else for them to do. They had no choice but to come and join us.”
Wike, after rehabilitating Omehia, has recently stripped him of everything, including the State Honour bestowed on him as a former Governor of the State. He, personally, took down Omehia’s photograph lined up alongside those of other past Governors of the State with relish.
