Wike narrates how he edged Amaechi out of Rivers politics

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Saturday revealed how he edged a former Governor of the state and the current Min­ister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, from the state’s politics.

Wike made this assertion in a statement on Saturday when he and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abu­bakar, were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees by PAMO University of Medical Sciences, PUMS, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He noted that the former governor, under whose gov­ernment he served as Chief of Staff, did everything he could to truncate his politi­cal career, but failed.

He said, “Midway into his first tenure, I got the sig­nal early enough that I have become a foe and pen­cilled down to be politically brought down, extinguished, or terminated.”

Read also: Gov Wike ‘very sure’ President Buhari will not sign Electoral Amendment Bill into law

Wike explained that al­though his predecessor had reluctantly included his name among those he nom­inated to former President Goodluck Jonathan to be ap­pointed as a minister, he was never his first or preferred choice.

“He, therefore, worked twice as hard behind the scene to truncate my con­firmation by the Nigerian Senate but failed because God said otherwise.

“Moving forward and when he noticed my ambi­tion to succeed him as the governor of Rivers State, he immediately drew the battle line and vowed that I could only succeed him over his dead body.

“Our contest was as in­tense and jugular as typical political enemies. Ultimate­ly, I won and prevailed over him. But, he acted the cow­ard by refusing to commit the suicide he had promised if I became the governor of Rivers State. Thank God he chickened out and did not die.”

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