Former Rivers State governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched a strong criticism against his predecessor and political adversary, Rotimi Amaechi, alleging that Amaechi’s wife diverted N4 billion allocated for the empowerment of Niger Delta women.
Wike made the accusation during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he responded to a range of political topics, including recent comments by Amaechi, who asserted his seniority over Wike based on age and political experience, and demanded corresponding respect.
Responding, Wike dismissed Amaechi’s assertion, saying, “I think it’s very unfortunate. You should be respected because of the integrity you have and the honour you have, not because you are 200 years old. He cannot claim to be older than me just because he was governor before me.”
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The FCT Minister went on to recount his political journey, asserting that he had been elected as a local government chairman even before he met Amaechi.
“I want to say, with due respect, that I never knew Rotimi from Adams. In 1998, I contested for one of Nigeria’s most respected local governments, Obiakpor Local Government, and I won,” Wike stated.
Wike recalled how, according to him, mutual allies played a role in reviving Amaechi’s political fortunes following an early setback.
He then shifted focus to Amaechi’s wife, accusing her of wrongly presenting herself as an “industrialist” and connecting her alleged financial dealings to findings expected in the forthcoming forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“When did your wife become an industrialist? Which company does she own?” Wike asked.
“Let’s play politics; leave our wives out of this. I regret to bring her up here. She’s not an industrialist; selling does not make you an industrialist.”
Wike accused Amaechi of exploiting his wife’s business profile for political showmanship and questioned the level of respect Amaechi truly has for her.
“So unfortunate that a former governor will say that because my wife is a trader, therefore, she is an industrialist. If you love your wife, why would you bring her up in this kind of discussion? I respect my wife; that’s why it’s very difficult for me to talk about women. How can a man who wants to become a governor talk about his wife like that? I don’t think Amaechi loves his wife. If he loves his wife, he would not say that kind of thing about her.”
Wike, therefore, urged President Bola Tinubu to make the long-delayed NDDC forensic audit report public, claiming it exposes how Amaechi’s wife allegedly misappropriated billions of naira.
“I ask Mr President to release the forensic audit of the NDDC, to make Amaechi’s wife explain how she spent N4 billion naira on training Niger Delta women,” he said. “It was [former Attorney-General] Malami that killed that report. That’s how Amaechi’s wife became an industrialist — four billion naira every month to train Niger Delta women,” Wike revealed.
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