Wike’s associate says it was the governor that betrayed the minister.

The interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, Davies Ikanya, has narrated how a cleric reportedly prophesied the political crisis in Rivers State, which began with the stand-off between the state governor, Chibuike Amaechi, and the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike.

Mr. Davies said the governor was warned by a popular pastor and founder of the Omega Fire Ministry, Auchi, Edo State, Johnson Suleman, that he would be making the greatest mistake if he nominated Mr. Wike as minister.

He said Mr. Suleman warned Mr. Amaechi that he (Wike) would betray him if he recommended him to President Goodluck Jonathan for a ministerial appointment. The chairman said the prophecy had been fulfilled.

However, Mr. Wike’s political camp in Rivers State has denied the claim, saying it was the governor that betrayed the minister.

Messrs Amaechi and Wike are political enemies, with both leading different groups of supporters in the protracted crisis in Rivers State.

The minister had served as Chief of Staff to the governor before his appointment as minister.

The state executive committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by Felix Obuah is believed to be loyal to the minister.

Mr. Amaechi has since defected from the PDP to the APC as a result of the crisis.

Mr. Ikanya said the governor ignored the prophecy given by Mr. Suleman and went ahead to recommend Mr. Wike as minister in 2011.

He also claimed that before then Mr. Amaechi had influenced Mr. Wike’s emergence as a second term Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State even when the people of council allegedly vowed to deny him the term over his disrespect for elders, arrogance and poor performance.

“It would be recalled that when Governor Amaechi confronted Chief Wike with Apostle Suleiman’s prophecy he swore with his children that he would not betray the governor,” the APC chairman said in a statement on Sunday.

“The State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry and Leader of non-Indigenes Political Forum, Barr. Chuma Chinye, who witnessed that encounter, is still alive and can testify to it.

“However, like the unprincipled man that he is, Wike soon got carried away with his new status in Abuja and turned against both Governor Amaechi and the good people of Rivers State, whose interest he is supposed to be protecting.”

Mr. Ikanya said he regrets that the minister had been unfair to Mr. Amaechi. He urged the governor not to be demoralized by the alleged betrayal.

He accused Mr. Wike of being an enemy of the people of Rivers State, saying that he has shown a bad example of how to be a politician.

“He is now an archenemy of the state preoccupied with making life difficult for Amaechi and for Rivers people and is happy to be recognised as the arrowhead of the opposition to Amaechi, causing much harm to the economy and security of Rivers State.

“Wike is a bad example of how to be a politician. He is a man without principle, a man who feels no compunction about biting the finger that feeds him.

“He is a traitor who has by his words and actions made himself the enemy of those in Rivers State who made him whom he is politically and sent him to Abuja to represent them, only for him to turn coat.”

The APC chairman, however, expressed happiness that “for every Wike, there are the likes of Senator Magnus Abe, Hon. Dakuku Peterside and several other political heavyweights who have remained loyal to Gov. Amaechi and to improving the lot of the good people of Rivers State.”

Efforts to reach Mr. Wike failed. His media aide, Simeon Nwakaudu, told PREMUIM TIMES “we don’t comment on issues raised by them (APC.)

However, Sam Nwanosike, a political associate of the minister, denied Mr. Ikanya’s claim, saying it was Mr. Amaechi that betrayed the minister.

“First, I don’t question the activities or prophecies of men of God. I don’t involve myself in such things. This is a matter of principles,” Mr. Nwanosike, who is the General Secretary of Grassroots Development

Initiative, GDI, Wike’s political group in Rivers State, said on phone.

“However, the question should be – between Amaechi and Wike, who betrayed each other. Is it Amaechi who was in Ghana running for his dear life or Wike that was in Nigeria fighting for Amaechi to become

governor? Is it Wike who tried to raise money to fight the legal battle for Amaechi? Go and ask Lateef Fagbemi, SAN. He was the lawyer then.

“People should speak from the perspective of truth. We all were involved. All of us belonged to the same association, Ikwerre Youth Movement and so I am telling you the truth.

Mr. Nwanosike said Governor Amaechi did not even want Mr. Wike to become minister and preferred Tonye Cole as minister in his place.

Mr. Suleiman could not be reached for comment as one of his aides in the Abuja branch of OFM referred PREMIUM TIMES to the international headquarters of the church in Auchi.