What Amaechi owes Rivers in 2015
At a recent meeting of the state executive council, and heads of government ministries and departments, Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi, berated his political associates and protégés who have been busy building political structures aimed at succeeding him.
Amaechi warned that their unbridled ambition was dividing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Incidentally, it is believed by many that Amaechi used his eight-year reign as Speaker of the State House of Assembly to covertly nurture his ambition to become governor.
At the meeting held at the Government House, it was gathered that Amaechi preached that power comes from God and except He decrees it, the efforts of those building political alliances would be in vain. Amaechi, who felt that the ‘early risers’ were distracting his administration,
Although the Governor failed to mention names of those whose ambition was distracting his administration,
The outcome of the recently concluded PDP state congress, which returned Godspower Ake as chairman, has fuelled the speculation that the party might zone the governorship slot to Rivers South East senatorial district in 2015. Amaechi is from Rivers East senatorial district, while Ake is from Rivers West Senatorial district, which produced former governor, Peter Odili.
The only zone yet to produce a governor since 1999 is Rivers South East. This perhaps is the reason those whose names are linked with the governorship race are from this district.
In spite of this assumption, there are persons from Rivers West senatorial district, whose names are linked with the gubernatorial race. One of them is the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in 2007, Mr. Tonye Princewill, who has decamped to the PDP.
If Amaechi is thinking of or knows who he prefers to be governor after him, it is perhaps the best kept secret in the state today. In the meantime, virtually all those assumed to be strategising to succeed him are close associates, besides the deputy governor who was foisted on him in 2007.
Amaechi’s political associates have said that despite all the development projects that Amaechi has completed in Rivers, he owes the peoples of Rivers a smooth transition. But they also know that it will not come easy.
Ikuru, who has been deputy governor since 2007, is from Andoni council in Rivers South-East, like Abe, Dakuku and Parker. Since the creation of Rivers, no deputy governor has succeeded to this boss, and not many people are confident that Ikuru will break that jinx. The deputy governor of course has not formally made public his intention to succeed his boss, but PDP insiders have insisted that he has been quietly building and strengthening his political alliance ahead of 2015.
The Guardian gathered that Prince Uche Secondus, the deputy governor’s political godfather, had toiled to become the National Vice Chairman of the party, to pave way for Ikuru and possibly forestall any effort by Amaechi to thwart his protégée’s aspiration. It is uncertain if Amaechi realised this and moved against the ambition of Secondus during the recent national convention of the PDP in Abuja.
Secondus was certain that he would have his way at the convention. For instance, it is a fact that he is very close to President Goodluck Jonathan and had done a couple of yeoman’s job for the president, including checkmating the former governor of Bayelsa State Timipre Sylva. The president wanted him back in the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) but when
Amaechi rallied the support of some governors in the South-South to support Jonathan in his drive to have Alhaji Bamanga Tukur emerge as the PDP National Chairman, it was easy to trade in Secondus.
The halting of the ambition of Secondus as the PDP Deputy National Chairman was one of the many concessions Jonathan made to the PDP Governors Forum in order to garner their support for Tukur.
Secondus, PDP’s former National Organising Secretary and a key loyalist of Jonathan for the 2015 project, was sacrificed for Dr. Sam Jaja from Rivers as the Deputy National Chairman.
However, it might be too early yet to measure the depth of the loss of Secondus to both the president and Amaechi. Jaja is also close to Jonathan but it is unclear still how close and willing he is to work with Secondus. If they close ranks, Amaechi might not be able to influence him in anyway.
So far, Amaechi has installed Jaja, who hails from Opobo in the NWC and this will hurt Ikuru’s aspiration.
A top PDP official, who pleaded anonymity said if either Dakuku or Abe secures the governorship ticket, Ikuru, might be asked to replace them in the National Assembly.
In all this, one person whose ambition to succeed Amaechi is well documented is Dakuku Peterside, presently representing Andoni/Opobo/
Dakuku is putting together a political structure considered as formidable in the state. It is also believed that it is in order to protect him that the governor impressed on him to quit the state executive council and proceed to the National Assembly.
The lawmaker once served as a Special Assistant to Odili on Student and Youth Affairs (1999-2002) and Chairman of Opobo/Nkoro Council (2002-2005). He has a network of supporters, nurtured when he was the National President of National Union of Rivers State Students. Jaja and Dakuku are members of Vanguard of Opobo Nation (VON).
Dakuku once shared the same residence with Amaechi before he became Speaker in 1999.
A close associate of Dakuku told The Guardian that with the governor’s henchmen in effective control of the party at the state level and Jaja now at the centre, the coast is clear for Dakuku.
“From the present realities, Dakuku will be the most favoured. Only God can stop him. It is certainly too early for anyone, including the governor, to formally begin to make approaches on this project, but recent political happenings in our state, indicate where the pendulum would eventually swing,” he said.
Another prospective aspirant is Abe, an Ogoni, representing Rivers South East senatorial district. Abe, who had always wanted to be a senator, is unquestionably among Amaechi’s closest political associates. When Amaechi was Speaker, Abe, then a member of the All Peoples Party (APP), was the Minority Leader. In a bid to realise his senatorial ambition, Abe joined the PDP in 2003, but was denied the ticket in favour of Senator Lee Meaba. Odili, through the influence of Amaechi, appointed Abe the Commission for Information.
In October 2007 when the Supreme Court sacked Celestine Omehia as governor, Amaechi announced Abe as the Secretary to the State Government. It is from this position that he went to the Senate last year.
Abe, a lawyer is widely speculated to be building a political alliance to succeed Malachi, although he would be relying on his relationship with Amaechi to consummate his dream to clinch the PDP governorship ticket in 2015.
Parker, the Commissioner for Health is among those whose names have featured prominently in the 2015 race to succeed Amaechi. A long time friend of the governor, Parker is from Okrika, the hometown of the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Goodluck Jonathan and former governor, Rufus Ada-George.
Parker stood behind Amaechi when the governor was battling in court to regain his mandate from his cousin Omehia. His membership of the state executive council is seen as the outcome of that loyalty. However, their relationship was recently strained by a shoddy transaction between the Ministry of Health and Clintoch Diagnostic and Pharmaceutical Inc based in Canada, which was to construct a high rise 1000 -bed space hospital, which would deal with internal medicine, obstetrics, gynaecology, surgery and paediatrics.
Clinotech was to invest $60 million in the first phase and $135 million in the second phase while the Government would invest $40 million. The project had barely started before the contract was terminated. As Commissioner for Health, Parker, has however supervised the building of over 100 new Primary Health Centres (PHC) in the state.
Despite the loyalty any of the prospective aspirants, the technocrats in the administration believe that the governor would at the end of the day be looking for the person that shares his developmental drive to move the state forward.
Mar 29
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