Wike accuses Amaechi’s wife of taking millions monthly from Rivers commissioners, LGs

The war of words between the Rivers State governor, Nyesome Wike, and his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi who is the current minister for Transport is still raging.

Wike has dragged Amaechi’s wife into the fray by alleging that she collected N3million and N2million monthly from each commissioner and local government chairman respectively in the state while her husband was governor for eight years.

Wike stated this on Monday during an interview session on Rhythm FM Port Harcourt.

He said he was aware of this because he was the Chief of Staff to Amaechi during some of those years the practices were ongoing, adding, that some paid N3million, while others paid N2million to the Amaechi’s wife.

He claimed that Amaechi’s grouse with him stems from the number of projects he has been able to execute in the state within the last two years of his administration, as compared to those of Amaechi’s eight years as governor of the state.

“When I was Chief of Staff to Amaechi, all local government area chairmen and commissioners were paying N3million and N2million respectively to Amaechi’s wife monthly,” he said.

Wike also said: “His (Amaechi) anger is that I have been given the name, Mr. Projects. I came to serve the people. You are comparing your eight years with my two years”.

The governor accused Amaechi of running what he described as a “morally bankrupt administration,” while he governed the state.

According to him, the transport minister was desperate to control the structure of the APC in the state, which he said had collapsed, even as he claimed that Amaechi merely returned to the state to launder his image, in hopes of keeping the APC aim the state together.

Read also: 2019: How battle to unseat Gov Wike may ruin Amaechi, Abe, destroy Rivers APC

He further boasted that “My academic background cannot be compared with that of Amaechi; I have never had a poor grade. I went to University of Port Harcourt, where I studied Political Science. I went to Rivers State University, where I studied law. I went to Law School and I came out successfully,” Wike said.

Speaking on Amaechi’s claim concerning projects and programs of his (Wike’s) administration, the Rivers State helmsman described it as unfortunate, and that they were lies.

“It is unfortunate that someone who was celebrating his 52nd birthday would tell Rivers people what is not correct. The immediate past administration abandoned projects by previous administrations. But we chose to complete projects that they abandoned. We completed all the projects that will positively impact the lives of our people.

“We inherited N14.7billion as salaries and pensions from the Amaechi administration, which we cleared. N23.2billion loan from Zenith Bank was also inherited and cleared by us. Another agriculture loan obtained by that administration was cleared by my administration”, he said.

The governor said APC is dead in Rivers and the plot to use security agencies to rig in 2019 will not work as the people will resist any form of electoral robbery.

Both men who were at one time good friends and political associates in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) fell out when Wike declared his intention to run for the 2015 governorship, and have been at ‘war’ ever since.

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