Governor Rotimi Amaechi
- •Wike: Gov will not control Rivers PDP structure again
By Ernest Chinwo



Rivers State Governor, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, has described the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, as President Goodluck Jonathan’s worst enemy, urging the presidency to check his activities.
In a statement issued yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), David Iyofor, Amaechi described as “grossly irresponsible, repugnant and contemptuous” statements, which Okupe made on a radio programme last Saturday against the person and office of the governor.
He said Okupe’s comments on the political crisis in the state, especially the role of the Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, did not reflect the true position of things in the state.
Amaechi said Okupe’s arguments were warped and showed his lack of understanding of the real issues, and the interest of the presidency in the whole crisis.
Amaechi said Okupe’s arguments were warped and showed his lack of understanding of the real issues, and the interest of the presidency in the whole crisis.
According to the statement, “Okupe sank to a new low when he falsely and indecorously claimed that Amaechi used the police to harass, intimidate and punish people unjustly and could not provide one instance or any evidence to back up his claims. He bragged about some phantom text messages from ‘ordinary people’ whose families have suffered grave injustice in the hands of Amaechi and, yet again, did not tell us the content and senders of the text messages. What does Okupe take Nigerians for? The phantom text messages exist only in the devious mind of Okupe.
“The presidential spokesman then sank even deeper as he condescendingly descended to become the chief advocate and defender-in-chief of the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mbu Joseph Mbu, whom the National Assembly had resolved categorically, should be removed from the state.
“Okupe’s warped argument is that the call for the redeployment of Mbu from Rivers State by the state government is because Mbu has refused to be a ‘tool in the hands of Amaechi’. Pray Okupe, if that is the case and Mbu is such ‘a professional with dignity’, why then did the House of Representatives and the Senate (which sent committees to the state to investigate the issues) pass two separate resolutions calling for the immediate removal of Mbu from the state? If Okupe’s trend of agbero logic is anything to go by, his likely response would be that it’s because Mbu refused to be a tool in the hands of the National Assembly!
“Okupe’s warped argument is that the call for the redeployment of Mbu from Rivers State by the state government is because Mbu has refused to be a ‘tool in the hands of Amaechi’. Pray Okupe, if that is the case and Mbu is such ‘a professional with dignity’, why then did the House of Representatives and the Senate (which sent committees to the state to investigate the issues) pass two separate resolutions calling for the immediate removal of Mbu from the state? If Okupe’s trend of agbero logic is anything to go by, his likely response would be that it’s because Mbu refused to be a tool in the hands of the National Assembly!
“With comments like that coming from a presidential aide and spokesman, Nigerians now have a better insight into why Mbu is still in Rivers State and continues to act with impunity, in spite of the call by eminent Nigerians and the resolution of the National Assembly that Mbu should go. What interests does Mbu serve for Okupe and his co-travellers that they are bent on keeping Mbu in Rivers State?”
He noted that it took a lot of resources and political will to restore peace, security and order to the state from the dark days of pre- October 2007.
“To destroy all that in the name of playing politics portends grave danger for our polity and will do no one, more especially, the presidency any good. No responsible government plays politics with the lives of its people,” he said.
The statement also said: “It is certainly rude, uncharitable, ill-mannered and hypocritical for Okupe to falsely and superciliously allege that Amaechi is a ‘willing tool’ to any person or group against President Jonathan. Where was Okupe when Amaechi led Rivers State electorate to overwhelming give the president over two million votes, the highest by any state in the last presidential election?
“For the likes of Okupe and his ilk in the presidency and Abuja, Amaechi only became ‘willing tool to the opposition’ when he, like most other governors, insisted on governors and governors alone, to determine who would be their chairman, the Governors’ Forum (NGF) chairman and not some hawks in the presidency. Amaechi's only ‘sin’, to the Okupes in the presidency, is his penchant for seeking justice and fairness for all, and his ability to speak his mind and say the truth at all times. This, obviously, is not in conformity with the kind of politics Okupe knows and understands.”
Iyofor said Okupe’s constant comments against Amaechi and other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors would not help Jonathan or the party in future elections.
“Pray, how will Okupe’s uncouth, relentless and constant tirades against Amaechi and some other PDP governors assist his principal now or in 2015? Or help our party, the PDP, in winning elections? Nigerians are more interested in what the PDP controlled presidency is doing to better their lives, not the petty, cheap politics of hatred, acrimony and unbridled outbursts of an inconsequential presidential aide who is trying so hard to play to the gallery and earn his pay,” he said.
Meanwhile, as the political crisis rocking the state chapter of the PDP rages, the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, has said Amaechi would not control the structure of the party again.
Wike said this yesterday at the dedication and inauguration of members of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), at Ahoada, that he learnt that one of the conditions being peddled by Amaechi’s supporters for an end to the crisis was that the party structure should be returned to the governor.
He said since the state did not operate an emirate or a monarchy, the structure of the state PDP would not be returned to Amaechi.
His words: “I was watching television last night and I heard some of them saying one of the conditions they have given is that they should give the party structure to the governor.
"But I say we don't operate emirate system. We don't operate a monarchical system. So, we don't 'dash' out party structure. It is the people that voted for them. So, we cannot 'dash' out party structure. It is you (the people) that voted for him. So we cannot 'dash' them anything.
The minister commended members of the GDI for their support for Jonathan and urged them not to relent in their effort to mobilise for the President should he decide to run again.
The minister commended members of the GDI for their support for Jonathan and urged them not to relent in their effort to mobilise for the President should he decide to run again.
He noted that Jonathan has performed excellently and should be encouraged to run again.
Wike insisted that the people of the state and the South-south geo-political zone would not settle for any position less than the presidency in 2015 and rained abuses on anti-Jonathan politicians, praying that they would continue to cry.
Wike insisted that the people of the state and the South-south geo-political zone would not settle for any position less than the presidency in 2015 and rained abuses on anti-Jonathan politicians, praying that they would continue to cry.
“Those working against the ambition of President Jonathan are now moving from one place to another crying and crying shall be their portion in Jesus name,” he said.
Earlier, the former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Chibudom Nwuche, explained that the people had been deceived in the past, adding that the masses would not be deceived again.
He said the people had decided to take their destiny in their hands and that they would mobilise the people for Jonathan.
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