The Lion vs The Governor-General: We break down the battle between Amaechi & Wike

Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi has been known as the lion. Maybe not as an official nickname, but he at least acted like one.

From his days in school, where he was national president of the National Union of Rivers State Students, he has been known to be very outspoken, stubborn if you like.

Taking up a life in politics, he was  speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly for eight years between 1999 and 2007 and then he aspired to be governor but lost at the primaries in controversial circumstances.

He fought hard to win back the mandate that was “stolen” from him, not giving up even in the face of pressure from concerned parties.

As soon as he was sworn in, he swung to action taking control of a state that had for decades underachieved in terms of infrastructure, at least.

He named education, roads and health as areas that were in a state of emergency and started by demolishing “illegal” houses by the roadside and expanding the roads. He also reconstructed and  expanded roads, built hospitals and health centres as well as schools.

The lion was at work as he went about personally inspecting the projects that were going on. He feared no one and did what he wanted to do as long as he believed it was right. Love him or hate him, Rivers at last had a governor that was working – or at least seemed to be working.

Enter the governor General.

Nyesom Wike was not well known outside of Rivers State even as chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the richest in Rivers State and said to be in the top five in Nigeria in terms of Internally Generated Revenue.

He was brash, offended many that crossed his path and was once the president of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).

When Mr. Amaechi was ‘cheated’ out of the governorship, Mr. Wike was one of the few that stood by him, donated money to the struggle, and, when Mr. Amaechi was given the mandate by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, was rewarded with Amaechi’s first appointment as governor. Mr. Wike was the Chief of Staff of Rivers State and held that office for four years.

At the last elections, it was said that if not for him, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would have been swept away by either the Action Congress of Nigeria or the All Progressives Grand Alliance. But things began to go awry between the lion and the governor general leading Rivers to its present impasse. Put simply – Mr. Wike had become too powerful and was in some cases referred to as the Co-Governor of the state.

Contrary to rumours making the rounds in some quarters, Wike does not want to be governor in 2015. This is simply because he cannot be. Whoever peddled the rumours that he wants to be governor in 2015 is either a trouble maker or does not understand the political workings in Rivers.

According to the power sharing agreement in the state,before Dr. Peter Odili left office in 2007, governorship was zoned to the Ikwerre people, granting them two terms in office ending in 2015. After that power is to go to the axis that includes Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro, Ogoni and Bonny.

Some say the Okrikas and Kalabari fall into this axis that can be governor in 2015 but maybe this is a late update of the zoning arrangement.

The questions

Is the fight between two former partners really about the state PDP chairmanship or is it a battle for the soul of Rivers State?

Is this fight about Mr. Wike not being called into the decision making process of the state?

Ultimately it is about this: what does Mr. Wike want?

The answer is perhaps even simpler. He wants to be in the Senate come 2015 as well as determine who becomes governor then.

What does Mr. Amaechi want? He knows after holding political office since 1999, he cannot just retire to normal life and after being governor of one of the most powerful states in the country, surely he should get something more.

Plan A is to be vice president, under a northerner. But that can only be on the condition that the current president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan does not go for a second term in office.

If the president decides to go for a second term in office, Mr. Amaechi’s plan B is to contest a seat in the Senate in 2015.

Now, that is where the rivers begin to flow apart. You see, Messrs Wike and Amaechi happen to come from the same Senatorial District.

Little wonder shortly after reelection in 2011 (with the help of Mr. Wike), Mr. Amaechi removed his man from the office of Chief Of Staff and was about to leave him in the lurch before he made his way to Abuja and lobbied to being the junior minister of Education. How many people really know who the minister of Education is?

Mr. Wike still comes to Port Harcourt regularly to hold meetings with his loyalists who still run the show either in the House of Assembly or as Local Government chairmen and these LG chairmen were suspended by the governor and their deputies sworn in immediately for “arriving late for a meeting with the governor”.

At this point it became obvious that there was a fight brewing between the Lion and the governor general but Wike had an ace up his sleeves. He installed his man and former colleague at LG level as the new State PDP chairman. That way he continues to run the show and determines who contests for the party in every election come 2015 since the primaries will be run the party anyway.

Felix Obuah, also known as Go Round used to be chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, an oil rich part Rivers State at the same time Mr. Wike was at Obio/Akpor.

Of course, Mr. Amaechi, also wanted the same level of control, so he supported his own loyalist, Godspower Ake to be state PDP chairman.

However a court nullified Godspower Ake’s chairmanship of the party and Felix “Go Round” Obuah’s swearing in was just part one.

The governor suspending the chairman, vice chairman and 17 councillorship of Obio/Akpor was part 2 as that LGA is Mr. Wike’s stronghold. The governor was hitting him where it hurt.

The state PDP, of course led by Mr. Obuah suspending 27 members of the house of assembly was part 3. The grounding of the state’s bombardier jet part 4.

Sharks FC cheating Go Round FC in the semi final of the Rivers State FA Cup was part 5 and Friday’s attempt by the commissioner of police to remove the newly sworn in caretaker chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA was part 6. That attempt failed.

As it stands now, Mr. Wike leads 3-2, considering that he did not succeed in removing the caretaker chairman from office.

As it is said, the enemy of your enemy is certainly your friend. So it appears that Nyesom Wike’s camp is growing as politicians who have felt let down byMr  Amaechi are swelling its ranks. Names like Ken Chikere, Austin Opara, Lee Maeba, Celestine Omehia and many others have reportedly teamed up with the governor general.

Of course, we hear the President is also helping the anti-Amaechi campaign but who can prove that? The President, notoriously, “is always a neutral arbiter” in things like this.

Can Mr. Amaechi survive this? It doesn’t look too bright for him. Will he beg and throw in the olive branch? He seems too proud for that.

The next phase of the battle will be to use the House of Assembly against him while digging up instances of corrupt practices to perfect the case. But will the war be over if Mr. Amaechi is removed from office by whatever means?

Certainly not, This is Rivers and the throne is always a very juicy prospect. Major players like Senator Lee Maeba, Magnus Abe, Dakuku Peterside, Tele Ikuru, Tonye Princewill all believe they should be governor of Rivers State come 2015. They are watching the unfolding scenario, they will soon join up.

Welcome to the “Rivers of Possibilities”.