My grouse with Jonathan, Rivers people -Amaechi

Former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi has said that he had problem with former President Goodluck Jonathan because he opposed the former president who wanted to raise the money spent on fuel subsidy from N300 billion to N1.9 trillion.

He spoke at a reception organised for him by a Committee of Friends at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

He said his quarrel with Jonathan should not be misconstrued to mean that he was antagonistic to the progress of the South-south geopolitical zone, adding that the axe he had to grind with Jonathan began after Rivers State’s income from the Federation Account was cut to N6 billion as against N20 billion that was due to the state.

“Some people will say I betrayed the South-south, but I have no word for betrayal. Let no one under any circumstance tell people yes when your yes is no,” he added.

According to him, “There was a time I walked into a meeting with the president (Jonathan) and in the meeting, the argument was that they wanted more money for oil subsidy. But as chairman of the governors’ forum, I stood my ground and told the president I was not going to support that.

“He asked me why and I explained that we were already in court with the federal government on the issue of fuel subsidy, so the president abused the hell out of my life.

“I have huge respect for the president, but the only thing that made me disagree with him was on the issue of the management of the country’s treasury.

“I told the president then that those who were accusing me of being anti-South-south to come out and tell the world his achievements in the South-south under his presidency. And the president confirmed it himself during the campaigns that he had done nothing for the region,” he said.

Focusing on his successor, Nyesom Wike, Amaechi said: “May God not give the ambition of the current governor of Rivers State, as he can sell anyone. God should rather put me to death than give me the ambition to sell this country.”

Amaechi challenged the people of Rivers State to stand up and defend him by telling the world the “truth” for what he stood for. He said it would be too much to ascribe the APC’s victory to him but that the victory of the party was engineered by God.

Read also: Wike, Amaechi square up over probe

“The current governor of Rivers State and PDP are afraid of me getting an appointment at the national level, because that will determine the politics of Rivers State.

“They know that the current president abhors corruption and the only way to stop me from being appointed is to paint that picture of corruption.

“I’m not angry with the people who have come out to blackmail me. My anger is with Rivers people who know I don’t like money and I expect them to get up and defend me that this is not Ameachi’s character, that’s my anger. The Rivers people should stand up and tell this man to stop painting Amaechi black,” he said.

Continuing, the former Rivers governor, added: “I heard they (PDP) want to address a press conference to tell the president not to give me an appointment, that I am corrupt but they don’t know that the appointment is not everything – if God is happy with me, I’m happy with my life.”

Amaechi said his sin against many people in the South-south and the former president stemmed from his support for a Muslim candidate from the north, adding that “the stealing the current president is fighting today cut across the whole nation”.

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