Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi, has denied ever using the military to attempt to wrestle power from incumbent Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2019 general election in Rivers State.
Amaechi also said he was not even aware of military presence in Abonnema, the Akuku-Toru LGA headquarters, where about 40 persons were reportedly killed due to electoral violence.
The former Rivers State governor who spoke in an interview with ThisDay at the weekend in Abuja also alleged that Wike was able to defeat them in the 2019 election with the help of government institutions.
“Wait until the elections. The last time, how did he defeat us? They used government institutions to defeat us.”
“I did not use the military. I did not even know there was military at Abonnema. I swear to God. I’m not joking. When I heard about the shooting at Abonnema, then, I asked: What happened at Abonnema that you people went there to shoot? That’s when I heard that a military officer, protecting INEC’s materials, was standing like this—a lieutenant colonel in the army, and you were courageous enough to shoot him?”
He said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) under his leadership in the state will not allow a repeat of the misfortune that befell it in 2019.
“How will it happen? If they repeat what they did the last time, you will see what will happen. They were celebrating the last time. No known politician will allow what happened the last time to happen again. They went to court. Have you seen a situation where even a judge asked a party to a matter to come and was pointing their lawyer to them? The party refused and said it was not their lawyer. The last time we didn’t speak because we wanted to respect institutions, Now, this is the last lap.”
Amaechi also said his insistence on a riverine governor is part of the problem in Rivers chapter of the APC.
“Let’s look at the last time the court judgment came and the Supreme Court said, You people should go home and make peace. I came to the party in the state and I rallied everybody. And I said gentlemen, no victor, no vanquished, let everybody come together, we don’t need to make trouble and all that. But just because I said me, Chibuike Amaechi, will support a riverine candidate, the trouble started again. So, until somebody is made governor of Rivers State, you are not at peace? You can only be a good man when that man is made governor? They are denying me my right in choosing who I want to support. And I have said whether they like it or not, the whole Rivers State can go upland, for me, justice is served if I support a riverine man.”
