FLASHBACK: How Amaechi tried to truncate my political career – Wike reveals

Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike is not new to controversy and has been at the center of the storm arguably throughout his political career.

His aggressive and dogged nature is the catalyst for controversy as he has continuously stepped on the toes of politicians whom society regards as bigwigs.

In the political scene at the state, he has clashed with Rotimi Amaechi, a founding member of the All Progressives Party (APC) and a former of the state. At the party level, he hasn't shied away from going toe to toe with Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president and the party's presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 elections.

However, in this article, we take a step back and rehash some revelations he(Wike) made about one of his battles with Rotimi Amaechi.

In a 2021 article, Wike who was governor of Rivers State recalled the battles he fought in his political career leading to his emergence as a local government chairman, minister and eventually as governor.

Speaking at the first convocation ceremony of the PAMO University of Medical Sciences, the governor narrated how he fought to the Supreme Court to secure his ticket as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers state after attempts were made to deny him the ticket at the time when Uche Secondus was the state chairman of the party.

The governor also recalled that the primaries for the election were canceled three times before his eventual victory.

“To become the chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Council, I had to fight and fight up to Supreme Court to recover my right to contest the election under the ticket of People’s Democratic Party which I was denied by the powers that be after I had resoundingly won the primary.

“Again I had to surpass three cancellations and repeated party primaries for me to earn the returned ticket as chairman under the former National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus,” he said.

Governor Wike also alleged that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who had nominated him for appointment as minister worked so hard to truncate his confirmation by the National Assembly.

“He, therefore, worked twice as hard behind the scene to truncate my confirmation by the Nigerian Senate but failed because God said otherwise,” he revealed.

Wike further recalled the fight between him and his predecessor who he said was against his governorship ambition.

“And when he noticed my mission to succeed him as the governor of Rivers State, he immediately drew the battle line and vowed that I could only succeed him over his dead body. Our contest was intense ultimately I won and prevailed over them”.

“I wouldn’t have wished anyone dead for my political ambition, I wanted him to live to see the glory of the Lord in my life and how God will use me in advancing the development of the state and the nation as Governor of Rivers State,” he added.

NBA