Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has said that his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, lacks the integrity and honour deserving of respect and has no moral ground to claim seniority over him in politics.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Wike dismissed the notion that Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, was in any way responsible for his political rise. He stated firmly that it was he who helped Amaechi, not the other way around.
“First of all, respect should not come because you’re older or because you were once governor,” Wike said. “Respect should come from integrity and honour. You shouldn’t be respected just because you are 200 years old.”
Reacting to comments made by Amaechi in recent weeks, Wike described them as unfortunate and misleading. He accused Amaechi of attempting to rewrite history and exaggerate his political relevance.
“He [Amaechi] cannot claim to be my senior politically. I contested the chairmanship of one of the most important local governments in this country – Obio-Akpor – in 1998 and I won,” Wike said.
Referring to Amaechi’s political journey, Wike said the former governor had suffered a series of failures early in his career and that he had personally played a key role in assisting him to gain a foothold in Rivers State politics.
“When he was struggling, I was already building a structure. He wanted someone to help him be appointed a lawyer to the Rivers State government. I walked him through. He wrote to the then Director of Civil Litigation. The man was loyal to me,” Wike stated.
Wike went on to challenge Amaechi’s record, noting that he had failed to win his National Assembly bid in 1999 and had only managed to rise through the influence of others.
“He failed the national election. He failed the State Assembly primaries. The so-called human rights man – I can’t even remember what he was fighting for then,” he added.
Wike also criticised what he called Amaechi’s constant attempt to remind people of his past achievements as though they guaranteed current relevance.
“God gives power to whomever He chooses at the right time. What matters is how you use that power to uplift others, not how many years you’ve been around,” he said.
In a biting conclusion, Wike declared, “He [Amaechi] does not even know his left from his right politically. So, how can he claim he made me? It’s unfair.”
The public spat is the latest in the long-running rivalry between the two Rivers politicians.
