By Emeka Amaefula
REVEALED: WHY RT. HON. CHIBUIKE ROTIMI AMAECHI HAS NOT BEEN VISIBLE IN RIVERS STATE POLITICS
The growing desire to unseat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party-PDP in Rivers state is one of the major focuses of members of All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers state under the leadership of Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Being the former Governor of Rivers state and former Minister of Transportation under President Muhammadu Buhari, he is at the front battle line to get Nyesom Wike’s chosen successor Siminialaye Fubara of PDP defeated at the forthcoming Governorship election in 2023. But the leader of All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers state Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has not been regularly seen in Rivers state leading stump up Governorship electioneering campaigns of his party’s candidate.
Few months ago, a sitting Federal High Court Judge at Port Harcourt judicial division ruled out all the candidates that emerged from the congresses held by All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers state participating in the 2023 elections as State House of Assembly, Federal House of Representatives and Senate and the Governorship. Former Minister for Transportation Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has not been seen in public places in Rivers state since he lost his presidential bid to be elected Presidential candidate of APC. This may not be unconnected to the fact he is avoiding having physical collusion with agents of Rivers state Governor Wike who had signed Executive Order 21 that banned gathering at Government facilities without due approval from him and payment of Non-refundable deposit of N5million for any political party except PDP that wants to hold rally in Rivers state. Although APC in Rivers state had gone to Court of Appeal on the matter that the party should not participate in 2023 elections as it did in the 2019 elections. But APC in Rivers state have been urging their members not to be dismayed with the political development in the state. Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi during the inauguration of APC campaign Council and unveiling of the manifesto of the party’s campaign Governorship candidate. Amaechi in his statement said “Don’t inherit my enemies. Look at how you can change Rivers state. We need to win this election. When we start (Campaign) we should be ready for their abuse and when they abuse us, we abuse them back.”
That marks two occasions that Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi had made physical appearances after his Presidential election loss to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu the first being the meeting at State Party Secretariat where he urged APC members in the state to support Asiwaju the party’s Presidential candidate. For the 2023 Presidential election.
When APC in Rivers state commences its Governorship electioneering campaign it is expected that he will lead his party to tour the 23 Local Government Areas dishing out the manifesto of the party’s Governorship candidate Pastor Architect Tonye Cole.
Before now Amaechi had spoken severally why he is afraid of the hostile attitude of the incumbent Governor Nyesom Wike who had dragged him and Tonye Cole to court indicting them for sales of Government properties to Sahara Energies which included Electricity Power plants built by Rivers State. Such court case that embarrassed the former Governor contributed in checking and restricting the number of periods that he visited Rivers state until the court matter was dropped by Rivers state government on the premise that documents allegedly used by Counsel to Amaechi included signatures of the incumbent governor while he was Chief of Staff to the then Governor Amaechi before the properties were sold out. In the process of avoiding exposure prompted the state’s withdrawal from prosecuting the defendants.
Worried by the constant intimidation of All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers state, Amaechi has kept his cool by reducing the number of times he gets involved in events such as burial of relatives to party members, Wedding ceremonies of party members’ relations or political events that may require his presences. Apart from the lingering mass defections that took place in Rivers state APC, as a leader of the party he must have been undaunted with low morale and lack of immediate answers to numerous inquisitions about the future of All Progress congress in Rivers state.
For instance, was the brouhaha occasioned with the appointment of Honourable Odum Udi as Minister on 6th of July, 2022 where he is currently serving as Minister of state Ministry of Environment. Most followers of Amaechi saw that appointment as not being favourable to reward them for their loyalty. Such brought about resignation s of Dr. Dawari George who defected to Action Alliance AA party where he is a governorship candidate of the party in the 2023 Governorship election in Rivers state. Governor Wike faulted the appointment saying that the Minister of state For Ministry of Environment did not have the intellectual requisite needed to represent the State as a minister of the Federal Republic “I have never seen an embarrassment like that in my life. Yes, you must appoint those who are loyal, but educated people are also loyal. It has never happened in our state. Everything cannot be politics. The image of the state is key.” He queried while swearing five newly appointed Commissioners in Rivers state. The Minster of state for Environment holds Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from University of Port Harcourt and served as Chairman of Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers state in 2003 and for a second term in 2008 while Amaechi was executive Governor of Rivers state.
Another collusion with the incumbent governor is the ban on political parties’ payment of N5m Non-refundable deposit as security fee before accessing public facilities for political campaign rallies in Rivers state with Executive Order 21 which restricts the use of Public Schools as Campaign grounds without permission from the Commissioner for Education within two weeks before the date of the rally Barrister Sogbeye Eli Spokesman to Tonye Cole campaign Organization in a statement said that it would be difficult for oppositions to get approvals from Governor Wike’s Commissioner of Education as it is a way to stifle political opposition in Rivers state.
——————-Emeka Amaefula —————-08111813069
