All seems not to be over yet between Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike and his estranged predecessor and minister of transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi despite the olive branch extended by the Wike to the opposition.
This as the minister during an interview on Channels TV’s sunrinse daily, on Tuesday, accused Wike of bribing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to rig the 2019 gubernatorial election.
Wike defeated the candidate of the African Action Alliance, Awara Biakpomabo, to win the election after a 23-day suspension.
Amaechi who insisted that no one was killed during the gubernatorial election contrary to claims by INEC that they stopped the election in the state due to violence, said that INEC was protecting electoral atrocities perpetrated by Wike because the INEC chairman worked under Wike in TETFUND.
He said that PDP sent Ikwerre boys to kill an army officer in Abonnema leading to violence in the area which resulted in about 37 deaths, adding that Wike led thugs to shoot a military officer in Obio-Akpo during the guber election.
Amaechi said that INEC stopped the election in the state when AAC was coasting to victory, adding that Wike’s government instils fear in the minds of the people.
The minister also accused Wike of giving bribe, explaining that Wike said that he did nothing, but the people have not forgotten the primary schools his administration built, the roads, primary healthcare and people believe him because he was giving bribe.
When asked if Wike pays bribe, the minister answered yes. When confronted to name the persons he pays bribe to, Ameachi asked the anchors to ask themselves the question.
Amaechi further said that he does not know how political relationships in Rivers State could be improved, adding that when a small boy is given a job bigger than him, he tends not to delivers.
He said that INEC staff were arrested for taking 15 million naira bribe from Wike in 2015 but nothing happened to them.
He said that INEC commissioner for Rivers state in 2015, Mrs Gesilia Khan was arrested and detained, adding that a video recording of her collecting money from the bank was shown to her but nothing has happened to her.
On why the APC was not on the ballot in Rivers State, the minister said that Justice Chinwendu Nworgu of the Rivers state high court did not have the jurisdiction to hear a matter concerning the APC in the state which is a National Party, adding that the appeals were also trashed due to technicalities.
He said that the Court of Appeal justices in Rivers State are living in the state government’s quarters instead of their own private residence.
He said that the insinuation that there is war between Wike and himself is a lie, stressing that the problem he has with Wike is that he wants to run for a second term after running a first term in which people were killed.
He said that Wike accuses the Army of misconduct because they refused to take bribe.
