Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has said that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, is not in any position to decide who rules the state.
Wike said this while reacting to comments made by Amaechi during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, where he said there is no war between him and Wike, and the issue between both of them was due to Wike’s decision to run a second term.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday at the Government House, Wike said that he wouldn’t have responded, but he owes the public the duty to set the record straight. He said:
“We want everybody to come back and work together for Rivers state to move forward.
“But it is unfortunate that if the former governor of the state made the statement, he is not in my party. It is my party that gave me a ticket to go for a second term which I deserve, having done well in my first tenure.”
Wike also recalled an earlier statement allegedly attributed to Amaechi who said Wike will only emerge as the governor of Rivers State over his dead body.
“If I did not do well in my first tenure, my party, PDP, will not allow me to fly the flag of the party. Remember that in 2015, the same man vowed that over his dead body will I be governor of Rivers state, it’s on tape, and everybody knows that.
“It is not in his place to say that I should not go for a second tenure; it is for the people of Rivers state, it doesn’t matter what his opinion is because he is not the owner of Rivers state, he is not the people of the state, he is one person in the state.”
“We have a population of not less than six million people and not less than 3.5 million registered voters. And therefore, it will be irreconcilable for one man to say his anger is because I want to go for a second tenure. It is the people of the state that will decide.”