According to the leader of the South South, Chief Edwin Clark, Wike is a beneficiary of the once rosy relationship between Jonathan and Amaechi when the President decided to zone the Ministerial slot for the South South to Rivers State. The elder statesman known to be vocal and fearless said he was surprised at the President's action which favoured Amaechi even when he had nominated a candidate for that position.
He said this while addressing the issue of zoning and rotation of political offices in Rivers State which has put the state on the spotlight. Chief Clark revealed that the President chose to give Amaechi two slots as a way of showing appreciation to the governor for his role in the Presidential election in 2011.
According to the Octonogerian, "When I nominated a candidate for the south south slot, even as the leader of the zone, the President told me that it was impossible since he had already decided to zone it to Rivers State for the sake of Amaechi. He said that he was grateful to the governor for bankrolling his election as he didn't collect a dime from him( the President)". Continuing, he said, "The two ministerial slots was what made it for Wike and Ama Pepple to emerge as Ministers. While Ama Pepple became the substantive Minister representing the Rivers slot, Wike was appointed the junior Minister to fill up the South South position. That was how Amaechi brought in Wike to the. President's cabinet. Before now, Amaechi was Jonathan's son and Wike is a beneficiary of that relationship".
This revelation by the elder statesman has. Finally put to rest the issue of whether it was Gov. Amaechi that made Wike a Minister.
A member of the Rivers Progressive Forum, Chidi Weli who spoke to us through wire said that Amaechi may have been the one who destroyed his relationship with the President by nominating his former Chief of Staff as Minister without sifting his followers first. He said, "It was a hasty decision to nominate Wike without considering what happened in the past administration where most of those sent to Abuja by former Gov.Odili eventually used their position to fight him".
"How can you send an ambitious politician who is ready to overthrow you to Abuja?, he queried. According to Weli, "Amaechi shot himself in the foot even though his original intention may have been to send him to check the excesses of other people who may not be in the governor's good books. But the whole thing turned sour when Wike got into the corridors of higher power".
Meanwhile, the Minister who spoke in a radio program recently in PortHarcourt wondered why some persons interested in running for the governorship of the state are whipping up ethnic sentiments against his perceived desire to succeed his fellow kinsman of Ikwerre Ethnic group. Wike asked if any of them could win elections in their various wards or even beat him at the primaries if he decides to join the race. He also said that even Amaechi's Party, APC, is afraid of him as he remains their problem.
But reacting to this, Hon. Nnamdi Ogbowu, a member of the Beks for Governor Campaign Organisation challenged Wike to first resign his appointment and come and test his popularity at the polls. He said that majority of those in PDP have rejected his leadership because of his inordinate ambition to take over from his boss Amaechi who is of the same ethnic group with him. The junior Ogbowu described Wike's utterances as insulting to the sensibilities of other ethnic groups particularly the Ijaw people of the state.
In a separate chat with the Chief of Staff to Gov. Amaechi, Chief Tony Okocha, he described Wike as the easiest candidate to beat, he said the APC is fervently praying for him to emerge as the candidate of the PDP and that will eventually expose his rejection by the masses.
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