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Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has claimed that he risked his life and spent all he had to make his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, the governor of Rivers State in 2007.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Friday night, Wike made the revelations where he accused Amaechi of deceit, hypocrisy, and questionable integrity.
“I am not a bush man; my background is not like the level Amaechi came from. Amaechi was the Speaker for eight years, he was the governor for eight years, and he doesn’t have a house. Amaechi has a spiritual problem,” Wike said.
The FCT Minister, however, alleged that Amaechi secretly owns property in highbrow areas of Abuja and Port Harcourt despite presenting himself as financially modest.
“I will tell you his house in Guzape, where I live. You can’t be a poor man and have all these properties; his house is in GRA,” he stated.
Wike questioned Amaechi’s moral standing and leadership potential, especially in the light of his rumoured presidential ambition.
“It’s unfortunate. I watch him, how can a man at that level do that? I feel so bad discussing a man’s wife. Is this the character that wants to be Nigeria’s president?”
Wike detailed a political episode during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration when Amaechi’s governorship bid faced major hurdles. He said Amaechi later attempted to edge him out politically, falsely believing he was doing him (Wike) a favour.
“Amaechi thought he was doing me a favour by pushing me out; he couldn’t have made it without me. I was a DG — I’m not a pushover politician.”
Recounting the personal toll the political battle took on him, Wike shared how he put his life at risk for Amaechi’s political future.
“We moved Amaechi to Ghana, that was the day I started wearing ‘Babanriga’. In the name of God, I put my life to risk. At a point, I called my wife and said, ‘Take my children away; I don’t know what will happen. If I don’t survive, that’s how God wants it.’
“Amaechi came to the airport to pick me up from Ghana. He wore a face cap; he was in hot tears,” Wike said.
The FCT Minister claimed that he invested everything he had to ensure Amaechi emerge as governor and called on prominent individuals to corroborate his story.
“Marcus Nneji will tell you that I spent everything I have in my life to see that we succeeded and Amaechi became governor. Ask Bello Adoke, Magnus Abbey, ask Idozu, Amaechi is a very big liar.”
Wike concluded by saying that contrary to Amaechi’s attempts to marginalise him in the scheme of things, he never asked for financial control but only requested to be made Chief of Staff in Rivers State Government House.
“I told Amaechi I want to be Chief of Staff; I didn’t want finance,” Wike stated.
