A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill has said the furore raised by Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike over the recent visit by his Bayelsa State counterpart, Seriake Dickson to Amanyanabo of Kalabari, His Royal Majesty, Professor T.J.T. Princewill was needless.
Governor Wike at a public function has expressed reservation over the visit to Rivers state by the Bayelsa state governor.
But Princewill in a statement faulted Governor Wike for raising dust over Bayelsa state governor visit to Kalabari kingdom without a courtesy visit to Rivers State Government House.
The APC chieftain who incidentally is the son of the King of Kalabari kingdom recalled that Governor Dickson had paid similar visits in the past to Amanyanabo of Kalabari in the company of Nyesom Wike as serving Minister of State for Education while the incumbent Minister of Transportation, Honourable Rotimi Amaechi was the Rivers state governor.
Accusing Governor Wike of being haunted by the fear of retributive justice, Princewill in his statement further noted that Honourable Amaechi did not express disaffection as governor.
The statement read in part:” Governor Wike’s outburst over Governor Seriake Dickson’s recent visit to the Kalabari Kingdom during a traditional festival of the Kalabari people hosted, as it were, by the Amanyanabo of Kalabari, HRM, Prof. T.J.T. Princewill reminds me of the Christian teaching of “what you sow you shall reap; the mystics call it “Karma” and the poets refer to same as “retributive justice”.
”I must say that Governor Wike’s reaction to that visit was simply a coalescence of Karma, fear and hypocrisy. Time and time again, Governor Wike puts himself out to the public as a man who does not take what he dishes to other; a man who would not accept from the same measure with which he serves others. That is not an acceptable character in Ikwerre Land.
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”In the build-up to Governor Wike’s gubernatorial ambition and whilst he was shopping for coalition against the then Governor of Rivers State Rotimi Amaechi, now Minister of Transportation, Governor Wike as the Minister of Education (State) accompanied the same Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State to the same Kalabari Kingdom, visiting both the Amanyanabo of Kalabari HRM, Prof. T.J.T. Princewill and Amanyanabo of Abonnema King Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel on two different dates. Governor Dickson (with Wike as Minister) visited HRM Princewill in December 2013 and King Bob-Manuel in January 2014. Both visits were certainly without reference or deference to the then Governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi.
”I recall vividly the particular day Governor Dickson in the company of Minister Wike (as he then was) visited King Bob-Manuel. It was on Sunday, 12th January 2014. Their convoy crossed Governor Amaechi’s on the Obiri Ikwerre-Airport bye pass road. Wike’s convoy that day had two Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs). I still recall clearly the equanimity with which Rt. Hon. Amaechi received the details of Dickson’s visit then.
In Amaechi’ words: “Dickson is first a citizen of Nigeria, if he comes to Rivers State in his private capacity and does not want to be disturbed, I shouldn’t lose sleep about that. All I can do is to ensure additional security around his route. As we saw, they have enough security”.
”That was how Amaechi took those private visits of Dickson to the Kalabari Kingdom, even though Wike seized the opportunity to lie to Kalabari people about the dispute between Rivers State and Bayelsa State over the ownership of Soku Oil Well, a testimonial that shall live with him forever.
”Apart from Wike, others who accompanied Governor Dickson in those visits in 2013/2014 include Prince Uche Secondus National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (then-Deputy National Chairman), Felix Obuah, Rivers State Chairman of PDP, Hon. Tammy Danagogo, current Secretary to Rivers State Government (then Minister for Sports), Prof. Edmund Alison Oguru, Secretary to Bayelsa State Government at the time, amongst others.
”Governor Wike’s reactions to Governor Dickson’s visit to the Kalabari Kingdom reinforces an Ikwerre adage which says that “a person who hunts human-head does not allow another person with a machete to be behind him”. Unfortunately, both nature and the universe go in circles, thus whatever goes around comes around.
”In conclusion, let me refer to Governor Wike as my brother, after a very long while; and to advise him publicly not to completely destroy the political integrity and goodwill that the Ikwerre people (our fathers) sacrificed to build. The privileges that Wike brags with today, either as Governor or as an “Ikwerre man” took the Ikwerre people 40 years to achieve, and must therefore not be destroyed by some acts of indiscretion. Ikwerre Elders must never lose sight of how we got to where we are today. A word is sufficient for the wise.”
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