Ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State made a confession recently: “I nominated Nyesom Wike to then President Goodluck Jonathan and the truth was that the President did not want him and I pleaded. Why? Chuma Chinye, my Commissioner for Commerce came to tell me that having stopped Wike from being my Chief of Staff, he is dying. I asked how. He said Wike was drinking out of frustration. I didn’t know that aspect of his life. Chuma Chinye is still alive and can attest to what I am saying. In the first place, he (Wike) was the one who brought Chuma to me to give appointment; they (Wike and Chuma) are friends, I didn’t know Chuma before I became governor.”
“So, Chuma suggested if I could make Wike my SSG, I said God forbid, then he suggested minister. But, I had already nominated Tonye Cole (of Sahara Energy Group) as the substantive minister from Rivers State. Now, I think twice about whatever Chuma Chinye tells me because he has misled me before, not once, but twice…”
“Wike should know that we were told to bring a name and not 10 names – that is why I said he lies a lot. Don’t forget that I was chairman of the Governors’ Forum and as chairman; I was entitled to nominate one other ministerial appointment to the President, what we used to call zonal minister. I made the case to the then president that not only because I am chairman of Governors’ Forum, Rivers State PDP produced the largest number of votes for him and Delta State that he wanted to give it to, had produced it more than three times, under Obasanjo and Yar’Adua. Jonathan now told me that he had to discuss with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala because she gave a condition and that condition for which she can come into the government was to come in with Bright Okogwu as Minister of State for Finance.”
“I told Jonathan that it was a faulty argument because Bright Okogwu is Delta, Ngozi is also Delta by marriage and it can’t work. So, he made that argument to Ngozi and succeeded and now came back to me that I should go and bring the name. So I brought Wike.”
“A week or two after, then President Jonathan sent for me. He told me that there was a report from the DSS against Wike. I knelt down before then President Goodluck Jonathan and begged him not to drop Wike. So, he asked me, what pedigree does he (Wike) have? I said sir, please for my sake and because Rivers State had given Jonathan the highest votes at the election; and we were then very friendly.”
“I even told him that if we don’t take this man (Wike), I am told that he is about committing suicide. Who did Wike know until he became a minister? One thing I try as much as possible to guard against is betrayal, I have been betrayed by a lot of people. People I helped to become Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Commissioners, those I appointed, people I helped during elections. Very few Nigerians have principles, do you know why? It is because the only source of income is the revenue of the state. Wike took his time to paint me black and I told him that there is only one way to prove it, let us go to court.”
– Culled from THE NATION