The Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, who was very instrumental to the emergence of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is sure going through a rough time in the scheme of things with the Buhari kitchen cabinet.
Amaechi who did not only wrestle power with Goodluck Jonathan, also of the South-South for Buhari, had an every day battle with the former President in a bid to secure Buhari’s win and went further to ‘put his money where his mouth is’.
Amaechi, is believed to be in the running for the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), also said to be targeted by powerful personalities from the Bola Tinubu camp and the camp of powerful northern elites within Buhari to alienate the outspoken former governor.
Sources insisted that though the travails of Amaechi are being painted as the handiwork of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), much of the arsenal for the war are being provided by leaders of the APC in furtherance of the battle for the SGF job.
“What we are witnessing is largely proxy wars, as the leaders of APC continue to orchestrate intrigues in their bid to outwit one another. The camps are really engaged in underground battles in their bid to claim those positions,” a source said.
Widely referred to as the Lion of the Niger-Delta, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, had said the 2013 Nigeria Governors’ Forum crisis paved the way for the end of the 16-year rule of the Peoples Democratic Party.
They made the observation during the public presentation of ‘Dynamics of Change: The Amaechi Years,’ a book edited by a former Managing Director of Daily Times, Yemi Ogunbiyi, and author, Chidi Amuta.
“But many have seen that Rotimi Amaechi cannot be trusted as he isn’t a core northerner” Says a source with the Muhammadu Buhari’s camp who doesn’t want his name mentioned in this report.
NewsWireNGR contacted a supporter of Rotimi Amaechi who narrated the ordeal currently faced by the former Governor of Rivers State and revealed some chilling details ….
The anonymous supporter of Mr Amaechi in a phone conversation said, “We fled Port-harcourt since after the polls and we’ve been lodging in a hotel in Abuja, no one is saying anything to us and we have no idea what the President plans for us, our leader (Amaechi) looks even more frustrated at the moment with the scheme of things (Please Journalist, do not call my name in your report)” he continued..
“Before he left for the United States with the President, he Amaechi had gone to President Buhari asking the plans the President had for him and his boys that fled Rivers State to Abuja but General Buhari only replied by wishing him well in his future endeavours” according to the supporter of Amaechi.
Another supporter who responded to our (NewsWireNGR) message wrote, “The man wants to work with only saints and we hope he fines Amaechi qualified to be one because he truly is, only a saint will abandon his own brother and work for a man from another tribe, no northerner will fight a northern President to support a southerner in Nigeria”.
He then added, “We know people want Amaechi out of the scheme of things but such attempts will face stiff resistance, we are more concerned about the Presidents body language”
“Amaehi met him (the President) to inform him that he wanted to leave the country to London as he wasn’t doing anything in Abuja and his boys are wasting away, rather than ask him to wait for an appointment, he shook his hands and wished him well”.
“We cant say much but we will wait and see, now that he has included him to a serious delegation like the US trip, that has given us some hope but that’s not enough” he concluded.
Our source reliably informs us that theres’ been series of meetings held to stop the President from handing Amaechi any serious portfolio especially that of the SGF, “that role is too important to go to someone like Amaechi who is loud mouthed”.
“I won’t speak further on this, but leaders of the All Progressives Congress are seriously pushing against Rotimi Amaechi’s emergence and please do not quote me, but within the past months, that’s what I’ve heard” he added.
