The Waiting Game Ends …As Amaechi Swears-in Okocha As Chief of Staff

By Polycarp Nwaeke

For Hon Tony Okocha, a former Caretaker Committee Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, the waiting game to become Chief of Staff Rivers State  Government House has ended as he was confirmed and swore-in to that position on Wednesday January 18.

Okocha who was appointed since last year had his confirmation kept on hold as a result of intrigues and bickering between Governor Amaechi and Nyesom Wike over his appointment.

Wike who is nursing ambition to be a senator in 2015 and so needed people to work for him to actualize his ambition was said to have preferred his boy as chief of staff.

The former Chief Of Staff's preference for someone else rather than Okocha is said to be because of the latter's intransigence towards Wike when he was a Caretaker Committee Chairman.

Okocha, it was said, refused Wike's orders that he should give certain appointments and contracts to his boys.

Although, one of Wike's boys, Okechukwu Chuku has denied this by saying that Okocha did not give any tangible appointments or contracts, having stayed only 3 months in office, Wike still maintains his grudges toward him.

And so when rumour started flying that Hon. Okocha was to be made Chief of Staff Government House, Wike who is now a Minister in Abuja moved quickly to stop it by pressing his buttons. Amaechi was forced to delay the appointment.

When however Wike became too over-bearing and started behaving as if he was dictating for Amaechi, the governor 'stubbornly' appointed Okocha a source informed our reporter.

Again, when he got wind of the appointment, he immediately moved quickly to stop it. In a bid to stop it, he was said to have abandoned his duty post in Abuja as minister for several days, shuttling between there and Port Harcourt, making overtures to high-ranking government officials and even allegedly lashing at the governor over Okocha's appointment.

For the second time, Wike, adopting propaganda and high wired political intrigues cajoled Amaechi not to confirm Okocha's appointment, which was why uptill December last year, despite having operated from Government House and doing his duties as chief of staff, he was not confirmed.

However, Governor Amaechi who also is eyeing the senate in 2015 had move quickly into action having been horrified by what happened two weeks ago in the wake of the Labour's strike over fuel subsidy removal.

Amaechi who had called a meeting with the local government chairmen at Government House discovered to his chagrin that instead of honouring the meeting, eleven (11) of the chairmen were allegedly busy holding meeting with Nyesom Wike and Dakuku Peterside. This discovery was said to have confirmed to the Governor that the eleven chairmen rather than being on his side are on Nyesom Wike's side and could be working for him to actualize his political ambition, hence their suspension. However the plausible reason Amaechi gave for suspending them was because they failed to come to the meeting.

Governor Amaechi, a source informed this publication is now ready to deal with all those preparing to work for Wike to actualize his ambition. He is also said to be ready to confront and deal with the former chief of staff who was hitherto his right hand man.

The mother of all confrontations has started with Amaechi's confirmation and swearing-in of Tony Okocha as chief of staff.

The confirmation we learnt, was done to spite Wike.###

 War of Supremacy B/w Amaechi, Wike …Wike In Total Control …As Ikwerre Youths Obey Orders  Not To Attend Congress

By Polycarp Nwaeke

Big political war is looming between Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and his immediate past Chief of Staff, Barister Nyesom Wike.

This political battle is as a result of the ambition of the duo to control political structures in the state for the purpose of making it to the senate in 2015.

Up till now, the two gladiators had fought it behind-the-scene, using intrigues, treachery, blackmail, subterfuge and propanganda.

Nyesom Wike, now largely regarded as Idi Amin of Rivers politics appears to have the upper hand in this fight, infact a source told National Network that he is equally in control of Rivers electorate, especially the Ikwerres.

His total control of the Ikwerres is said to be because he empowered many of them when he was the chief of staff and is still empowering them now even as he operates as minister from Abuja.

Relying on the youths he had empowered, Wike, another source disclosed, single handedly prosecuted the 2011 governorship election that returned Amaechi to power.

Wike's total control of Ikwerre youth was prove right on Sunday January 22 when on his alleged orders, Obio/Akpor youths boycotted the Ikwerre Youth Movement (IYM) congress called to deliberate on crucial issues affecting Ikwerre ethnic Nationality.

The former Chief of Staff, now Minister of State for Education allegedly gave the orders to ward coordinators who then circulated the notice to the youths of Obio/Akpor, who strictly adhered to it by boycotting the meeting.

Lamenting the total boycott of the meeting which was held at Akpor Grammer School, Ozuoba, one of Tony Okocha's acolytes Elechi said it was unacceptable that somebody, somewhere should give orders that warranted youths to boycott such a crucial meeting.

Hon Okocha was said to have alluded to this, while  speaking at the meeting. He reportedly warned mischief makers trying to cause trouble to be careful.

Ikwerre Youth Movement (IYM) which is the umbrella body of all Ikwerre Youths is said to be very dear to Governor Amaechi and Barrister Nyesom Wike. 

A source told National Network that it is from the movement that politicians amass boys that work for the success of their election into various offices, hence any politician who controls the body is sure of success in any election, he or she participates.

That, National Network was further informed, was the reason Wike and Amaechi were battling to control it, but its control appears to have slipped out of Amaechi's hand, as the boys that make up the movement are now at the beck and call of Wike who is said to have total control of them as a result of his empowerment programmes and liberalism towards them.

However, Governor Amaechi was said to have made a wise decision by picking Tony Okocha, a diehard opponent of  Nyesom Wike, as his Chief of Staff.

Okocha, we gathered has what it takes to bring back those boys at the side of Wike to Amaechi's side, and this appears to have started as one the boys who has switched to Amaechi's side from IYM told our reporter on condition of anonymity that he was tired of the other group's dishonesty. He further told our reporter that thousands of Tony Okocha's boys from IYM attended the IYM's congress that was held at Akpor Grammar School on Sunday January 22.

Whether Okocha would make much impact in dismantling Wike's political structures is in the realm of conjecture, what is however certain is that the war between Amaechi and Wike is far from over and is going to intensify in the weeks and months to come, especially now that the governor has sworn-in Okocha as chief of staff, something which Wike vehemently opposed.###