The Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, and the senator representing Bayelsa East on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ben Murray-Bruce, on Sunday engaged in a Twitter fight.
The Twitter fight was triggered by the senator’s response to excerpts of President Muhammadu Buhari’s interview with The Telegraph of London on Friday, where he accused Nigerians seeking asylum in Europe of being insincere and battering Nigeria’s image by engaging in criminal activities in their host countries.
While condemning the president’s comments, Mr. Bruce wrote on his twitter page:
Your own minister spent ₦80 million on a one day dinner, yet it is your citizens you accuse of being criminals #IAmANigerianNotACriminal
— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) February 6, 2016
Apparently sensing that the jibe was a veiled reference to the amount he purportedly spent on hosting Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka to a birthday dinner when he was governor of Rivers State, Mr. Amaechi accused Senator Bruce of being a coward.
A coward who is not bold enough to name the minister that he alleged criminally spent N80M on dinner is unfit to sit in our senate chambers
— Chibuike.R. Amaechi (@ChibuikeAmaechi) February 6, 2016
Responding to the Minister’s snide tweet, the senator brought up the recent Supreme Court judgment that upheld the election of Nyesom Wike as governor, rubbing it in the face of the ex-Rivers governor, whose efforts to enthrone his ally and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dakuku Peterside, as his successor, was fruitless.
When you have been Wike'd, you become wicked! But you will always be my beloved brother, no matter how much you transfer the anger on me.
— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) February 7, 2016
Mr. Amaechi again reacted by accusing the Bayelsa senator of only finding his voice on Twitter while keeping mute during the debates in the Senate.
I will not respond to innuendos. Be courageous, name the minister. We know you talk here & do 'siddon' look where you are elected to talk
— Chibuike.R. Amaechi (@ChibuikeAmaechi) February 7, 2016