How I chased Amaechi out of Rivers politics —Gov Wike
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, has said that he succeeded in edging his predecessor Rotimi Amaechi out of Rivers State politics after a prolonged battle for supremacy between the two of them.
The Governor revealed this on Saturday when he and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees by PAMO University of Medical Sciences, PUMS, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Wike explained that while he was serving as Amaechi’s Chief of Staff when Amaechi was governor, he got wind of his principal’s plot to clip his political wings and rubbish him politically so that he would not have the political clout or structure to succeed him in office.
He said that while Amaechi was busy doing everything possible to truncate his political career, he fought back by engaging in moves that would counter Amaechi’s and prevailed.
“Midway into his first tenure, I got the signal early enough that I had become a foe and pencilled down to be politically brought down, extinguished, or terminated.
“Although he reluctantly included my name among those he nominated to former President Goodluck Jonathan to be appointed as a minister, I was never his first or preferred choice.
“He, therefore, worked twice as hard behind the scene to truncate my confirmation by the Nigerian Senate but failed because God said otherwise.
“Moving forward and when he noticed my ambition to succeed him as the governor of Rivers State, he immediately drew the battle line and vowed that I could only succeed him over his dead body.
“Our contest was as intense and jugular as typical political enemies. Ultimately, I won and prevailed over him.
“But, he acted the coward by refusing to commit the suicide he had promised if I became the governor of Rivers State.
“Thank God he chickened out and did not die,” the Governor narrated.
