Embattled Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has described his former Chief of Staff and Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, as “too small and insignificant to discuss.”
Wike, who was once a political ally of Amaechi, has recently been involved in a battle of supremacy with his benefactor.
Amaechi made this known Saturday during a thanksgiving church service to mark the 60th birthday of the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief O.C.J. Okocha (SAN), at the Emmanuel Anglican Church in Port Harcourt.
The governor, who was responding to the questions thrown in his direction by the officiating priest, the Bishop of Anglican Communion, Niger Delta Diocese, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, could not hide his regrets about how most of the people that betrayed him were from his Ikwerre ethnic group.
Amaechi recalled that he nominated some of his kinsmen, including Wike and the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Austin Okpara, into political positions, but regretted that they turned around to betray him.
In his words: “This will be the first time I will be talking about my former Chief of Staff in public. My former Chief of Staff is too small for me to talk about. I don’t want to discuss him and I have never done that before. Today will be my first and last day.
“There are men with character and there are men without character. I don’t believe that money can solve all problems and I don’t worship money.
“My greatest fear is that where am I going after here on earth? Let me also tell you that I have been betrayed several times in politics and majority of those who betrayed me are from my Ikwerre ethnic group.
“Before I became a Speaker, can we look back at Ikwerre history? We were crying; we wanted governor, we wanted this and that and the last ministerial appointment was Chief Emmanuel Aguma, a long time ago, and that was the last Ikwerre ministerial appointment.”
On Opara, Governor Amaechi remarked that the former deputy speaker betrayed him when he most needed his support.
“Again, you can ask Mr. President, I submitted his name (Nyesom Wike) as minister. Where is he now? I, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, submitted his name as minister to President Jonathan. But where is he now? You must have character, you must be known for something,” Amaechi insisted.
