How Retired Rivers Generals Rejected Amaechi, Cole

How Retired Rivers Generals Rejected Amaechi, Cole

By PHC Telegraph 

Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation who was recently in the News for reconciling with some of his political enemies may have suffered a severe set back.

Deserted by most of his allies and friends, the former Governor of Rivers State reportedly struck a deal with a handful of his political adversaries.

These adversaries, it is on record, fought him through out the Governor Peter Odili era and his days as the State’s Chief Executive.

Some of them include Chief Abiye Sekibo, Prince Uche Secondus and Senator Lee Maeba.

A political analyst in Port Harcourt asked what he thought of the reconciliation said, “It is a matter of my enemy’s enemy being my friend. They may be outwardly united in their fight against Governor Nyesom Wike but deep down they are strange bedfellows.

“Behind the scene, there are efforts to build a broad coalition just to seize power. It is my prediction that this coalition will fail on account of the same reason that I have mentioned.”

Although Amaechi was spotted at a recent rally organized by the APC, his purported reconciliation with allies of the PDP Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Rivers State is raising eyebrows.

Is Amaechi working for the presidential flagbearer of the APC?

That is the question that many people, especially those in his party who support Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, are trying to find answers to.

Amaechi has put some distance between himself and an earlier position credited to him which suggested that he is opposed to a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

The former Minister publicly denied he ever took such a position. Despite the denial, there are still doubts in some quarters about Amaechi’s real intention.

In the meantime, his reconciliation with campaigners for an Atiku presidency has become a major talking point.

The Port Harcourt Telegraph has learnt that Amaechi’s reconciliation with former political foes was based on an understanding that members of the pro-Atiku group would lend support to the APC flagbearer, Pastor Tonye Cole.

However, that understanding appears to have died on arrival. According to information obtained by this publication,

We have gathered that a group led by a retired army General, name withheld, has refused to agree with a propised plot to back Cole, a Kalabari who hails from Abonnema in the Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Rather, the group of retired generals, we have heard, are leaning in the direction of Dumo Lulu Briggs of the Accord Party, AP.

Like Cole, Briggs is also from Abonnema in the Akuku Toru Local Government Area.

Political differences between Cole and the Accord Party flagbearer date back to the 2018 era in the APC when Cole suddenly emerged as the Rivers candidate of the party.

As things are, despite Amaechi’s new friends who are laboring to market Atiku, Cole does not appear to be the one that will get a seal of approval from a shaky coalition that some persons want to build.

As at the time of going to bed, a pan Ijaw group christened “Ijaw Wari”, was expected to make a great announcement.

Many Ijaws in Rivers State and beyond who have been following its activities with keen interest reckon that the group may proclaim support for one of the Ijaw candidates in the race.