Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, has described Rotimi Amaechi, his predecessor, as a “total failure”.
Wike made the comment on Monday at the inauguration of a construction project in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
On Saturday, Amaechi while attending the burial of Alabo Graham-Douglas, a former minister, in Akuku Toru LGA of the state, criticised the absence of Wike.
“Indeed going by the contributions he (Graham-Douglas) made to the state, I was thinking that the state would take responsibility for everything concerning Alabo. You don’t need to be governor to be recognised,” the former minister of transportation said.
Responding on Monday, Wike denied that the late elder statesman was abandoned.
The governor said his administration handled the medical expenses of Graham-Douglas while he was sick, adding that Amaechi is only interested in honouring the dead.
He said: “I’m so disappointed that the former minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, will come to this state to talk about this government not giving late Alabo Graham-Douglas a state burial. It’s unfortunate. I ask him: when Alabo was sick, where were you?
This state government committed so much amount of money to make sure Alabo survived. I want to challenge anybody; we did not spend less than N50,000,000 to make sure our elder statesman survived. It is the survival we want. We wanted him to be alive.”
Wike alleged that Amaechi refused to carry out Graham-Douglas’ request when he was still in office.
Wike said: “But let me ask you: Amaechi when Alabo was alive, he told you to honour him by elevating the stool of Amalabo. When he was alive, he said please Mr Governor, honour me; he (Amaechi) did not do it. So who is the man who loved Alabo?
“Now because the man is dead, you now went there because the man is dead. I know why you went there, it’s because you have interest. Everybody knows.
I thought some people should know that there are limitations to everything. If you didn’t say what you said on Saturday, I wouldn’t have exposed you. People didn’t know you have an interest everywhere.
“Tell Rivers people, as a minister of transportation, what did you do for your people? Show Rivers people what you did for them. When I was a minister, a junior minister for that matter, I brought Faculty of Law, University of Port Harcourt.
“So please, this should be your last time to open your mouth and talk about this state because you’re a total failure as far as this state is concerned. Even what is supposed to come to us, you blocked it but we didn’t bother. You think you’ll not finish as a minister, you have left and yet you can’t even enter the villa now.
“All these period you intimidated the people with police is over. When you used to tell them the president is angry with you. Now go and tell them, they will ask you which president are you seeing. You’re seeing no president.
So don’t distract us again, if you distract us, I’ll say more things that when Nigerians see you, they will pour you hot water. Your atrocities are too much, so be careful.”
