Wike Vs Amaechi On Ikoyi $50m: Still Waiting For Court Action? By Ifeanyi Izeze

No doubt, on the surface, the quarrel between the Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike and his predecessor and the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, both from the Ikwerre ethnic nationality of the state, looks real. But below the surface, could there be a hidden Ikwerre agenda against the interests of other ethnic clusters in the state or is it just a happenstance?

Is it not curious that whenever Rivers people think the incumbent governor has forgotten his issues (real or imaginary) with his predecessor and now solely facing matters of governance in the state, he cashes in on even the flimsiest excuse to reawaken this perceived quarrel with his erstwhile boss from whom he took over the Ikwerre baton? Is this situation not clearly becoming an obvious or rather deliberate distraction from governance in the state? Fatal indifference is ignoring obvious danger because you are too complacent or rather scared in your own mind to acknowledge it exists and this is the current state the Rivers people and their state government.

How long can we continue to dwell in the past? If Rivers state monies were stolen by the former governor, why is it taking the incumbent almost two years to do the needful using the right and constitutionally-provided channels on corruption and financial crimes? The Buhari-led government has used two years (half of the tenure) to blame all its woes and inactions on the immediate past government led by former President Goodluck Jonathan. Is what is happening in Rivers state any different? Wike has also spent the same period blaming Amaechi and his government for all the financial disabilities and/or lull in governance in the state. So what is the difference in the “change” installed in the two arenas? When are we going to move on and face issues at hand-delivering good governance to our people who are grossly short-changed?

Majority of Rivers people unknowingly have been applauding to their stupidity in believing lies rather than sound reasoning. Was it not surprising how swiftly Governor Wike moved to hang the Ikoyi cash discovery on Amaechi? In less than 24 hours from the discovery, Wike declared that the over $50 million dollars found in the luxury apartment in Ikoyi belongs to the Rivers State Government. He claimed that investigations by the Rivers State Government revealed that the money was part of the proceeds from the sale of the state-owned gas turbine facilities by his predecessor. 

Let me ask: When and how was the investigation done by Wike to convincingly establish in less than twelve hours (of the night) that the discovered cash in the Orsborn Ikoyi luxury apartment was Rivers state money that Amaechi took away from the sale of the gas turbine facilities?

Right from day one of the EFCC’s uncovering of the cash dump in Ikoyi, Governor Wike had categorically stated that the uncovered money belongs to Rivers State as it was part of the looted Rivers funds by the immediate past governor. He even gave the Buhari-led federal government a seven-day ultimatum to return the funds to the state coffers or he will take legal actions to recover the money. Meanwhile, going by the series of investigations and revelations, in connection to the said cash, Amaechi’s name appears to be completely unconnected to the unfolding drama. Except for Wike and Governor Fayose’s media aide, none of the investigating authorities or those already linked to the found cash had in anyway mentioned Amaechi’s name.

How many weeks have gone since the 7-day ultimatum expired? We are yet to hear that with the same speed with which Wike came out to claim the money as being Amaechi’s loot from Rivers state, that the state government has instituted a court action against the EFCC and the federal government on the ownership of the funds.

In law, he who allege must also prove and in Equity, he who comes to seek redress must come with clear conscience and clean hands. These are the basis of law as it seek to impact on the society. Whether anybody wants to hear this or not, truth be told, if Governor Wike fails to substantiate his claims by proving his allegation with undeniable and verifiable evidence then, he has betrayed the trust of the office he holds and has thoroughly embarrassed the good people of Rivers and also his law certificate. How could an incumbent governor who also served in commanding position in the previous government degenerate to this level or could this be the new Rivers version of ‘change’ or more aptly “politics of bitterness?”

It behoves on the Rivers people to pressure their governor to keep to his words and proceed with the threatened legal action against the federal government towards recovering the over $50 million allegedly belonging to the state. If the people fail to do this, it all means they don’t even believe what their governor says and this is even a more serious problem of its own.

Let’s even ask: Could the suspended Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a Jonathan appointee, have collected money of such magnitude from Rotimi Amaechi, a Jonathan political enemy, let alone agreeing to hide it for him?

In 2015, the Jonathan presidential campaign was looking for evidence to prove that Amaechi was using Rivers money to fund the Buhari presidential campaign. Why didn’t the suspended NIA DG expose Amaechi to help the Jonathan campaign defeat the then opposition APC? With such damaging evidence against Amaechi, the suspended NIA boss could have given the PDP the magic bullet to decimate the opposition.

Anyhow you want to look at it, the circumstances that threw up Wike as governorship candidate in 2015, no doubt, were complicated and equally bizarre. Understandably, the need to ensure victory in the state for Goodluck Jonathan heightened by the unnecessary quarrel between the then governor, Amaechi and the wife of the president as a result of the former first lady’s hunger for power and control gave birth to the current misadventure in the governance of Rivers state.

However, it should be clear to Wike that as he weaves his own conspiracy theories against his former boss, so do some of the allegations produce integrity and sanity questions on him. This is the truth. God bless Rivers state!

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