Amaechi vs Wike: Between facts and fiction – Phrank Shaibu

Soon after Governor of Rivers State, Nye­som Wike, accused his predecessor, the immediate past governor, Rotimi Amaechi, of looting and vandalising properties in the Rivers State Government House by taking away items like bullet proof doors, car­pets, cars, furniture, curtains and windows, a container of controversial narrations and analysis has emerged with Rotimi Amaechi’s response that ‘the current governor is trying to intimidate, threaten and blackmail officials of his then administration, includ­ing civil servants into mak­ing false, phony and bogus claims of alleged corrup­tion and corrupt practices against him and his wife, Ju­dith’. Indeed, Ameachi’s detailed re­sponse has now made it difficult to sieve the truth from a big basket of allegations by Nyesom Wike.

An understanding of how poli­tics is practised in Nigeria would suggest that what Wike has done with accusations of looting of fur­niture and cars at the Rivers State Government House is nothing far from the usual strategy of distrac­tion that is observed every time an incumbent State governor hands over to an opposing party. As such, Wike’s disclosures are not strange. However, what is different from the allegations is that this time round, it is not money that is be­ing talked about but basic do­mestic items which ordinarily should have their inventory well documented in the office of the Permanent Secretary that serves as the chief accounting officer of the Government House.

To claim that Ameachi looted the Rivers State Government House is very premature as confirming such al­legations is far beyond using doc­tored images to portray a scattered House as vandalized in the pres­ence of some selected journalists. Ordinarily, if Governor Wike meant well, good logic would have informed him to seek an inventory of what items were in the office and what Amaechi left behind. The simple question that has been raised is, did Wike know what was in former bedroom to have been able to reach a conclu­sion of looting? Otherwise, Wike’s claims are best thrown to the dustbin and re­garded as a weak political ploy to score cheap points. Indeed, until a proper and transparent inven­tory analysis is professionally conducted, it will be difficult to regard Wike as serious.

Certainly, from every reason­able analysis, what Wike has done in his first day of official resump­tion of duty as governor, shows that he is acting out a script which explains that his main purpose in politics is to fight dirty rather than focus on the right measures that will advance the governed. Ordinarily, one would have thought that Wike as a lawyer would have known the essence of well articulated evidence when presenting a case. Simply put, the pictures of scattered chairs and tables cannot sufficiently serve as proof that an accused is responsi­ble for looting except where there exists a documentary evidence from security cameras and or un­compromised individuals to but­tress such.

On the issue of vandalised kitchen cabinets, I think if a man of Amaechi’s status really meant to cause discomfort for his suc­cessor, the seeming destruction of property should not start and end in a kitchen of a house he literally renovated to his taste. Perhaps, if Ameachi had capac­ity for evil acts, he would have started the alleged vandalisation from the foundation of the House rather than go to an irrelevant por­tion of the mansion. That Wike never mentioned any colossal damage to the said Government House rightly suggests that he is just obsessed with trying to get un­necessary attention in an issue that he could even be accused of simu­lating or master minding. Granted that anyone that has held or is holding a government office deserves public scrutiny but when such inquiry translates to blatant absurdity and half truths as demonstrated by Wike, then the reasons behind such must be investigated thoroughly to en­sure that this is neither an intent to divert attention, weak attempt to discredit another person nor design to deplete the treasury of the State.

Consequently, any ob­jective analyst should appreciate that the media outing by Wike is obviously a tragic error because what he attempted to portray on al­leged looting could have been left for the journalists to confirm from witnesses present at the time of the alleged vandalisation. Or could it have been possible that, as at the time he resumed of­fice, the entire security personnel at the Government House had fled and the security camera gadgets destroyed? Wike’s claims are ap­palling, especially coming from a lawyer. He really needs to be reminded that as a legal profes­sional, he should have taken the proper step to assemble credible evidence before considering a visit with pressmen. Indeed, the churning out of this unconfirmed story in the media is also huge minus for the press as it has exposed the embarrassing fact that in Nigeria, investigative jour­nalism is almost dead or highly compromised. For anyone to use Wike’s misinformation, it simply suggests a willingness to stray from the truth in preference for reporting a stream of fabrications.

The big story for any journal­ist wanting a real scoop might be: who opened the premises for Wike and what did they see there, a van­dalized House or not? For ease of recall, anyone that has given some reasonable attention to politics of Rivers State would agree that there is a gulf of gap in the rela­tionship between Amaechi and Wike, hitherto described as two close friends before they went their separate ways in the wake of 2015 general elections. Be that as it may, it will be good for Wike to be challenged by the public on these allegations not necessarily for the purpose of advancing any political party’s interest but for advancing both morality and integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.. Another simple ques­tion to ask here, is why should he claim that he would need about four months to fix the vandalized items whereas some people can even build a house in less than four months. In fact, it is only a person that is dumb that will ac­cept what Wike says without questions.

PDP in Rivers State has a long history of attempting to smear the APC at any opportunity. For anyone still unaware, the smear campaign was launched by Wike when it became obvious that Rotimi Amaechi had settled for another candidate as his successor as Governor from the APC. For the average peace loving person, this dirty politics should have been over but Wike’s recent allegations is a real tragedy in the making. That is the truth, and it is time the Rivers people knew this and the consequences ahead.