Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers State and his
immediate predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi have once again taken their quest to
assert control over the state to another level.
Both men on
Saturday were involved in a traffic altercation, but turned it into a power
play to justify who should be in charge of the politics of the state.
Their security
convoys and details did not miss the chance to create havoc in efforts to
please their principals, while drawing their guns, leading to allegations from
both camps that it was a plot to assassinate the governor, and Amaechi, who is
the current minister of Transport.
Both men have in
the past two years been at loggerheads over who should be in control of the
politics of the state ever since Wike won the governorship election in 2015, to
the chagrin of Amaechi.
Although both men
were formerly in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Amaechi decamped to the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in the run up to the 2015 general elections after
he fell out with then President Goodluck Jonathan.
Wike, and Amaechi
have since that time seemingly declared war on each other, accusing each other
of virtually everything, in efforts to assert their control over the politics
in Rivers State.
On Saturday, while
on different missions around the state, their convoy came across each other at
Nwanja Junction on Trans-Amadi road. This led to a clash by their security
details, and shots were allegedly fired.
According to the
account by the Spokesman to the governor, Simeon Nwakaudu, the governor was on
project inspection in the state, when SARs personnel and soldiers in the
minister’s convoy hit the governor’s escort rider and attacked the policemen in
the pilot car.
Nwakaudu added
that one of Amaechi’s aide-de-camp identified as Debewari supervised the
alleged attack “which included damage of cameras held by journalists”.
He further
alleged, that “The minister of transportation had over 50 SARS personnel,
soldiers and mobile policemen in his motorcade”, and that the attempt on the
governor’s life was unsuccessful, as he was not hurt.
On his part,
Amaechi was said to be on official tour to Rivers State when the incident
occurred.
An associate of
Amaechi, Prince Tonye Princewill, who was with the minister in his bullet-proof
vehicle, claimed it was an attack aimed at assassinating the minister.
He said Governor
Wike’s Dispatch Rider pulled a pistol to assassinate Rotimi Amaechi but missed
his target after which Amaechi’s ADC, Debiwari intervened to save the Minister
from further assassination attempt.
According to
Princewill, “I am at a loss if this was not an assassination attempt on the
Minister, somebody should explain to me in a clearer sentence why did the
Wike’s despatch rider failed to stop the two security vehicles of the Minister
which had already crossed but decided for whatever reasons to block the vehicle
in which the Minister was driving?”
Tonye Princewill
went further to ask, “why did an attempt by Amaechi who was behind the steering
to navigate his vehicle out of danger was accosted by two security men from the
Governor’s convoy who had pulled out their pistol and gun to shoot him. Why did
these men of darkness after realising that the vehicle that the Minister was
driving was a Bullet Proof resorted to hitting the jeep with the butt of their
guns and in the process broke the right driving mirror and attempted to break
Amaechi’s windscreen and after which he pulled his pistol to kill Amaechi?”
Also, the APC
RIvers State chapter in a statement by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, SSA Media and
Public Affairs Consultant to the APC Rivers State Chairman, Dr Ibiamu Davies
Ikanya further alleged that after the failed attempt to kill the Minister, his
escort Team was physically assaulted by the CSO Government House, SP Promise
Wosu and Governor Wike along Trans Amadi road, Port Harcourt with the FSARS
operatives on the Minister’s convoy dislodged and forcefully disposed of one of
their AK 47 Rifles.
The party
continued, “the entire world is aware of how dangerous Governor Wike is and how
he has killed many APC members to usurp powers in Rivers State and how he has
supervised and turned Rivers State into Rivers of blood but to attempt to
assassinate a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the mode of
Amaechi, his benefactor and predecessor is to us is an affront not only on our
nascent democracy but an attempt to truncate our hard earned democracy and to
plunge this country into a chaotic situation which consequences may be
unimaginable.
“This is a
dangerous trend which if not nipped to the bud and arrested may jeopardise the
current peace pervading the Niger Delta region at the moment”.
News
Source: - Ripples | November 12, 2017.
Photo Source: - The Nation | November 12, 2017.
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