Amaechi never made me Deputy Speaker
– Opara
on january 01, 2014 at 6:12 am in politics
By BEN AGANDE
ABUJA—Former Deputy Speaker of House of
Representatives, Mr. Austin Opara, yesterday,
dismissed allegations by the governor of
Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, that the
governor made him Deputy Speaker of the
House of Representatives, noting that
Amaechi’s claim was a manifestation of his
ignorance of parliamentary procedures.
In an interview with journalists in Abuja,
yesterday, Opara said if anybody had
betrayed his benefactors, it was Amaechi
“who betrayed Peter Odili and the people of
Rivers State, who entrusted him with their
votes.”
Governor Amaechi had, during the
convention of Ogbako Ikwere in Emohua
Local Government Area of Rivers State,
alleged that he begged President Jonathan
to make, Mr Nyeson Wike, minister and also
made Mr Opara Deputy Speaker of House of
Representatives.
I disagree with the fact that
there is a North/South divide
*Opara
He had said: “By the grace of God, I made
Chief Opara, Deputy Speaker of the House of
Representatives. God used me. Prominent
politicians met me and told me that there
cannot be two captains in a boat, if I make
Opara Deputy Speaker, I might not be the
political leader in Ikwerre, but I said I want
my people to benefit and I picked Opara’s
name and we battled to make him Deputy
Speaker of the House of Representatives in
2003.”
Reacting, Opara said that Amaechi’s
statement was a “sign of ignorance on how
parliamentary procedures work. It is
unfortunate that a public officer of the
status of a governor can make such careless
statement of that magnitude. He was
Speaker of the Rivers State House of
Assembly. How can a member of the state
House of Assembly make one a deputy
speaker of the House of Representatives? It
is a sign of ignorance on how parliamentary
procedures work. Amaechi never made me
deputy speaker, so the issue of betrayal
does not even arise.
“Presiding officers of the National Assembly
are elected on the floor of the Assembly by
members. Amaechi was never a member of
the National Assembly, so whatever role he
claimed to have played, and he is the only
one that knows, does not mean he made me
deputy speaker. I know that Amaechi was
one of those who spoke to Peter Odili to
support my aspiration.
Even at that, Odili has never claimed to have
made me deputy speaker of the House of
Representatives. It is unfortunate that a
governor can make such a statement.
Amaechi requires our prayers and sympathy.
I say so, because former Governor Odili
practically forced me out of the contest for
the Rivers State governorship election in
favour of Amaechi. Today, Amaechi is
persecuting and prosecuting Odili,” he said.

Source: www.vanguardngr.com/2014/01/amaechi-never-made-deputy-speaker-opara/

Austine Opara please shut that your occult smelling mouth. What was your profession before 2003. Hunger must have made you develop Amnesia.
If Ameachi had followed Odili's advise in 2003 wouldn't u still be a poor church rat selling fake landed property?