Edith CHUKU
Chairman of the African Democratic Congress ADC, in Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State, has accused the FCT Minister and former governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, of deepening political divisions in the state.
Hon. Felix Ekpendu stated this in an interview with TNN on Saturday, while reacting to the rival event organised in honour of Wike, on the same day, Rotimi Amaechi was holding his late mother’s burial.
Ekpendu described the action of the FCT minister as highly condemnable, expressing concern that his actions were capable of further widening the political crisis in the state.
The ADC chairman noted that despite political disagreements, Wike ought to have sympathized with Amaechi and family, over the demise of his mother, Dame Ezinne Mary Oduah Amaechi.
His words: “Politicians and non-politicians have been visiting to condole the former minister and former governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi and ADC vice presidential candidate.
“You have seen people, from and outside the country, trooping into the state, to Amaechi’s house, stakeholders of this nation, but we have not seen a Rivers son like Wike, and he is in Abuja there with him.
“Being a brother, same Ikwerre and the man who made him what he is today because without Rotimi Amaechi, all the Ikwerre sons today wouldn’t have seen light politically. It was through his influence as a speaker when Odili picked him(Amaechi) that he carried other Ikwerre sons along.
“Amaechi was trying to bring power to Ikwerre land, from there Wike became a beneficiary but today like you see, the way the politics is being played, I condemn it, all over the world people have been condemning it, you don’t play politics with hatred, bitterness, it’s not good.”
Ekpendu wondered, “how can Wike agree to such programme fixed same time with Amaechi in his local government not even your own local government. They are receiving you today in Rotimi Amaechi’s local government, in his community, is it not trouble, that one is no longer politics it’s trouble, it’s very wrong, highly condemnable.
“He saw that ADC candidate is coming from Abuja today for the burial and the same airport he will use, from what we heard he is trying to mobilise his own people because some supporters of Rotimi Amaechi are going to the airport to receive the presidential candidate for the burial of his vice mother, to take him to Ubima, and FCT minister too wants to operate that way, to bring his own loyalist to come and receive him too for an event in Ikwerre local government, is that called for?”
