Exclusive: Why I won’t give up on Wike, Ameachi explodes

Minister of Transport and former governor of Rivers state Rotimi Ameachi, has said he was not ready to give up on the struggle for political power with the re-elected governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike.

The minister also revealed that most of the current politicians in the state; including the governor himself (Wike) Senator Magnus Abe, Austin Opara, Celestine Omaha, among others all passed through him to become what they are currently.

Speaking in an exclusive interview, Ameachi who was a two-time Speaker Rivers State House of Assembly, two-time governor of Rivers state before his appointment in his current position, also denied the speculation that he could no longer move freely in the state.

When asked whether it occurred him that he created so many enemies as a result of the just concluded general elections, Ameachi said: “Ordinarily, I would not want to comment on that but let us take Magnus, who wants to be governor, for example. I told him that since both of us come from upland, he should allow riverine to go. But he said that I abused him before his wife.

“As an Ikwerre man, the assumption in Ikwerre is that if nobody can control a man, his wife should and that was why I called his wife to beg her husband not to run. To show how much he is not a Christian, he told the world that I told the wife that I will finish him if he runs. Is that possible and can you do that to even a mad man?

“Most Christians take God for granted because of the principle of forgiveness. It is like what I told Peter Obi after I had won the chairmanship of the Governorship Forum, 19 to 16. I saw him in the Catholic Church after watching him campaigning round the media that I did not win.

“I challenged him to kneel down before the Blessed Sacrament in the altar to swear that I did not win that election and I will resign there and then. But he told me that it is politics and I should not bring religion into politics.

“So, Magnus, Wike and others rose from my hands politically. God used me as a tool to spring all of them. During the APC presidential campaign in Rivers state, I told Mr President and the crowd that 80 per cent of the current Rivers politicians passed through me.

“I nominated Austin Opara the Deputy Speaker for House of Representatives. I put my cousin Celestine Omeha as Commissioner under Rufus Ada George. Magnus and many others passed through me.”

Reacting to speculation that he cannot walk freely in the streets of Port Harcourt, the outgoing Minister of Transport said: “I am surprise you did not see a video of where my people were falling on each other to touch me. The security had a rough day stopping people to allow me pass. I was running and they were chasing me.

“I went into a market that would have been very dangerous for anybody like me to prove a point. My security did not even anticipate it. As dangerous as Port Harcourt may be, I can go to anywhere I want to go. I still go out with one car in Port Harcourt.”

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