Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi said at the weekend that Supervising Minister of Education Nyesom Wike and a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Austin Opara, betrayed him.
He said having made them to get to top positions, they connived with others to fight him for personal and selfish interests.
All of them are of Ikwere, the largest ethnic stock in the state.
Wike was Amaechi’s Chief of Staff.
Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), spoke on Sunday night at the 199th Convention of the Ikwerre Cultural Organisation, Wat Ahai Ogbakiri in Emohua Local Government Area.
The Rivers governor told the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention, the socio-cultural body of Ikwerre people in Rivers state, that both Wike and Opara were now leading the fight against him in the state.
The NGF chairman lamented that in spite of his contributions to give the Ikwerre ethnic nationality a face-lift and a pride of place in Rivers state and on the national stage, he had been betrayed by his brothers.
He said: “Gradually, we are beginning to wind up in government and I have started counting either my blessings or losses one by one as governor of Rivers State.
“I have started asking what have I done for Ikwerre people and I’m convinced that the Ikwerre history cannot be complete if my name is not mentioned.
“I am not saying this because I am the governor. As the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, I ensured that most parts of Ikwerre have roads. The ones that did not get then, when I became governor they got roads.
“Only a few communities may not have roads in Ikwerre now, and before we go, I will make sure they have roads like most parts of the state. We will ensure that those communities have roads. As Speaker, I asked for the grading of this Ogbakiri road.”
The Rivers governor also stated that he was aware that the basic thing needed in Ikwerre was basic empowerment.
He said: “You will not recognise it, until you take the list of our scholarship programme in the state and know how many of our children are overseas studying. They are quite many and I have met them at different airports.
“How I know them is because they greet me in Ikwerre when they see me. I have asked myself apart from those who are fighting me, many Ikwerre sons and daughters have one way or the other benefitted from me.
“When you see Nyesom Wike, tell him I nominated him to be Minister. And I have one witness sitting here today. Chief Sampson Agbaru is my witness. He led other prominent sons and daughters of Ikwerre to see President (Goodluck) Jonathan and the President told them that he had not known Nyesom Wike from Adam, that when Amaechi brought Wike’s name, he (Jonathan) opposed it. The President opposed the appointment of my former Chief of Staff as Minister.
“He (President Jonathan) opposed him (Wike) and I begged President Jonathan severally and consistently because I wanted Wike to be minister. But today, Nyesom Wike has betrayed me for selfish reasons.
“Also, by the grace of God, I made Chief Austin Opara, Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives. God used me. Prominent politicians met me and told me that there could not be two captains in a boat, that if I made Austin Opara Deputy Speaker, I might not be the political leader in Ikwerre. But I said I wanted my people to benefit and I picked Austin’s name and we battled to make him Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2003.”
The NGF chairman also revealed how the ex-deputy speaker of the House of Representatives (Opara) allegedly masterminded his arrest and detention in 2006.
Amaechi said: “In 2006, I was arrested through the machinery of Austin Opara and was detained for one day. Meanwhile, he was supposedly one of my supporters to be governor. Among those, I have also helped who are now fighting me is also Prof. Achinewhu, as Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt.
“Achinewhu was sick and at the point of death. I flew him out of the country for medical treatment, but he is now one of those accusing me and writing against me in the papers. For those I gave contracts, they are so many for me to mention.
“If they deny, call the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention and summon them, I will come here and mention them one by one. For instance, Paul Nwonodi is one of them. He is now fighting me and writing and signing all sorts against me.
He said: “We will survive the federal might and the way to survive it is to mobilise our people. We must prepare now to chase away those against our people. The President says he is an Ijaw man, he should not take the oil wells from the Kalabari people.”
Amaechi also promised that he would remain a detribalised leader, until the expiration of his tenure in 2015.
The President-General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention, Prof. Augustine Ahiazu, described the current wave of politicking in Rivers State as alarming, stating that it could cause permanent injury to individuals and the various communities.
Ahiazu said: “Bitterness in politics can result in undue hatred among friends and relations. It can breed division and polarisation. It can also bring conflict and destruction.
“Ikwerre sons and daughters should come together to fight any plans for violence in Port Harcourt, because any violence in Port Harcourt is violence in Ikwerre land.”
The minister of state for education, in an interview in Port Harcourt, insisted that he never betrayed Amaechi, whom he supported to be governor in 2007.
Wike, maintained that the NGF chairman did not recommend him to President Jonathan to be appointed minister. Opara also stated that change was needed in Rivers state, with the people and others in the crude oil and gas-rich Southsouth zone preferring President Jonathan’s re-election in 2015 to Amaechi’s alleged interest in being the vice-president during the next general election.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/amaechi-wike-opara-betrayed-me/

I'm coming

Again he mounts the rostrum and goes loose. Amaechi's aides should take microphones very far away from him cos the two are like Tom and Jerry, inseperable yet detrimental to each other's existence.

I have never heard where a speaker of a state House of assembly made a deputy speaker of the Federal House of Representatives. It can only happen when Amaechi lays his hands on a mic and enter his over - drive mood.


Amaechi shouldn't have forgotten to tell the people of Ikwerre how he made Rufus Ada-George and Peter Odili governors. How he made Yar'adua and Jonathan Presidents and how he is going to Make the APC win the 2015 general elections. [i][/i]

ok

This man relapsed. Some one should get his old medications. Look those eyes self. Were ti de.

He talks too much. He knows that talk is free that is why he talks freely.
I pray, he doesn't talk himself into trouble one day.

Talking too much makes one looks stupid......Am really hating this man and his loosed loquacious mouth.

People should always know that human beings are selfish and greedy in nature and they change too even when you put in your best to help them,they can still betray you so just help them because you want to and not because you expect them to return the favour. They can dissappoint at a point you need them most.

Why dis man dey run him mouth like dis? Rivers state is currently in mess now. No good roads for port harcourt. What happened to the much talked about Greater port harcourt project and the Mono-Rail project. So much money proposed for those projects and nothing is working.

This is what happpens wen u leave development to chase shadows. Ph roads are in a terrible state and ur there shouting PDP won't rull Nigeria unless tru rigging, these betrayed u , that is fighting u. Sit ur azzz down n work. The best way to shut ur opponents up is to be successful. Why won't I support u if I can get from my place and get to office aerly instead of stupiiid bad roads n traffic gridlock. Where is mono rail, no by-pass . Nothing.

By d way wen Wike took a bullet 4 u wen u ran to Ghana that wasn't betrayal abi ? Mchewwww
Sit ur black butt down n work.

Rotimi: no permanent friend in politics but permanent interest.

Who told you that Wike and co don't wish to become the president of this country?

Everybody is playing his own game.

Wise up!!!

This man should have been a market man