Wike/Ameachi Feud: ‘I Will Resign If’…

• Amaechi shut down courts for two years and NBA did nothing

Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, says the state benefited immensely from him when he was the minister of education during the administration of former president, Goodluck Jonathan.

Minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, was the governor of Rivers then.

Wike tackled Amaechi over the comment the latter made describing himself as the best governor the state has ever had.

Amaechi on Sunday at the funeral of Adolphus Karibi-Whyte, a former justice of the supreme court, bemoaned rising insecurity, bad roads and intimidation of the judiciary in the state.

You have lost your voice. The sage (the late justice) has gone under and nobody is speaking. When I was governor, I gave people voices, but they have blocked those voices,” Amaechi had said.

“Everyone is scared. We are going back to when Ateke held sway. We are going back to the period where we run away from our people. We are back to a period when nobody could speak. But from next year, I will begin to speak, if nobody wants to speak.

Reacting to Amaechi claim, Wike challenged the minister to mention one thing the state has benefited from him since he became governor.

Wike, who spoke on Monday in an interview on AIT, said Amaechi has not made any contribution to the development of the state since he became governor.

He said he would step down as governor with immediate effect if Amaechi, his predecessor, could mention just one achievement.

Wike explained that if the judges and judiciary have lost their voices, it is because Amaechi shut down the court for two years while he was governor.

He said he brought a lot of development to Rivers while he served as minister of state for education, but that Amaechi cannot boast of any achievement.

“Rivers people will ask you, what will you tell us. You’re doing rail to Niger Republic, which one have you done in your state? Wike asked.

“As minister of education, I brought faculty of law to Port Harcourt; I brought N500 million grant to Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, I built so many schools. As a minister, I’m proud.

“You’re a minister, tell Rivers people I brought this, mention one. If you mention one, I’ll resign now. Mention what you’ve brought to Rivers people to convince them. We’re too educated for you to go to Kalamari to incite them.