By:Oby Ndukwe:
The last has not been heard of the several attempts by the enemies of Gov. Rotimi Amaechi who have serially failed in their desperate bid to remove him from office before the expiration of his tenure on May 29, 2015.
Unknown to many, the first coup against Amaechi was actually masterminded by the National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus. The former state Chairman of the PDP in the state during the reign of former Governor Peter Odili is conversant with party politics and that has not only made him the luckiest politician in Rivers state but has endeared him to the heart of a desperate President, Goodluck Jonathan.
Total as he is fondly called by admirers is the alter ego and political godfather of Engr. Tele Ikuru, the decampee deputy to Gov. Amaechi. Ikuru is a nephew to Secondus who has been his pillar of support, politically.
Due to his deficiency in academic qualifications needed to aspire for exalted offices in the Nigerian political scene, Secondus often uses Ikuru to achieve his aim of ensuring that he maintains relevant in the scheme of power play in the state.
It was Seconsus who nominated Ikuru as a Commissioner under Gov. Odili’s first term where he was in charge of Agriculture before he was later moved to Lands and Housing. Ikuru was later forced to resign over allegations of fraud against him by the state governor for his failure to recover huge millions of naira from one of the failed banks even when the bank had put the government on notice.
Secondus had pleaded with Odili not to sack his nephew as that would have made a mess of his reputation. Ikuru was later given a soft landing when he was asked to willingly resign from the cabinet.
Surprisingly, during the build up to the 2007 elections, Secondus had again cried to Odili to pick Ikuru as his candidate for the post of deputy to whoever would emerge as the flagbearer of the PDP.
Though Secondus and his camp had failed in their bid to install Austin Opara as the PDP governorship candidate for the election, he was given the concession to nominate the running mate to Rotimi Amaechi who eventually emerged as the party’s flagbearer. In spite of his alleged fraud which he was yet to be cleared, Ikuru emerged as Amaechi’s running mate before the infamous ‘K-leg’ saga which robbed Amaechi of the ticket. Celestine Omehia was eventually used as a substitute for Amaechi. In a letter signed by the then National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ahmadu Alli and the National Secretary, Prince Ogbulafor, the PDP informed the INEC of its decision to substitute Amaechi with Omehia as its candidate on the mere reason of error which was contrary to the Electoral Act 2006. The failed letter did not change Tele Ikuru and so, when Amaechi eventually won the case against PDP and INEC at the Supreme Court, he had to govern the state alongside Tele Ikuru who was already in office with Omehia as his deputy for five months.
While Amaechi battled the case in court for a period of ten months, Ikuru moved on with Omehia, abandoning the man who had willingly accepted him as a running mate.
While many of Amaechi’s supporters especially his Chief of Staff then, Nyeaom Wike had urged Amaechi to impeach Ikuru through the State Assembly, for his betrayal, Amaechi had preferred that Ikuru chose the path of honour to resign. But he never did, rather he chose to remain in power while condemning his former boss, Omehia of not giving him a free hand in government. Ikuri was said to have bitterly complained of Omehia’s refusal to approve funds for him, even as deputy governor.
Secondus who was one of the architects of Amaechi’s woes was also relegated to the background by the duo of Odili and Omehia who ensured that he never got elected as the National Organizing Secretary of the PDP. It was gathered that Omehia and Odili had surrendered the slot to Chief Tony Anenih, the leader of the party in the zone.
But the coming of Amaechi eventually turned the tide in favour of Secondus as Amaechi paid him an unscheduled visit at his Port Harcourt residence. He was brought back to the mainstream of the party and eventually nominated as the Organizing Secretary of the PDP, national.
From then, Secondus began to enjoy a harmonious relationship with Amaechi while his friendship with Odili had briken down.
Amaechi was said to have approved two road contracts for him at the value of N7bn and N3bn respectively. That did not go down well with the likes of Wike and others who staked their neck for the battle to reclaim Amaechi’s mandate. They felt that the Governor had rewarded a man who had caused him so much pain, yet, Amaechi did not bulge.
Unfortunately, the relationship between Amaechi and Secondus began to dwindle when the latter was alleged to have abandoned the said road contracts after receiving millions of naira as mobilisation. That was not all, Secondus who had gained more political prominence with his position in the PDP NEC,became a threat to Amaechi’s supremacy as the leader of the party.
The governor had told Secondus that he would rather have him take any other position instead of retaining him as the party’s organizing secretary or any other position he desired. And in a bid to ensure that Secondus does not grow into a stumbling block, Amaechi moved to replace him with Dr. Sam-Sam Jaja. That did not go down well with the Andoni-born politician who was permanently living in the prestigious Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
While the relationship between Amaechi and his erstwhile hatchet man, Nyesom Wike became strained, Secondus was in Abuja where Wike had become a Minister, waiting to align with him in order to take a pound of flesh from Amaechi. The duo joined forces together and plot the hijack of the party structure from Amaechi. It was Secondus who was the brain behind the coup that left his closest ally, Chief G.U.Ake gasping for air as he readily used his position again in the party to dislodge Ake as the state chairman of the PDP.
Amaechi’s bid to install Sam Sam Jaja as the Deputy National Chairman of the party had failed due to his strained relationship with the presidency. Wike, who had become the de facto leader of the PDP in the state had helped Secondus to regain his prominence in the Wadata Plaza Office of the party.
It was gathered that Ake had trusted Secondus having come a long way with him, as such, he never bothered to request for his Certificate of Return as the duly elected State Chairman of the PDP. And having failed to impress it upon Amaechi to restore Secondus to his position, it was a payback time for Ake as Secondus who was in possession of the blank certificate had convinced Felix Obuah, Ake’s kins man and close ally, to appear in Court as the authentic Chairman of the Party even when Obuah did not participate in the election that brought Ake.
Secondus and Wike, in conivance with some officials of the party in Abuja, some INEC officials and the judiciary succeeded in up turning Ake’s election while Obuah was declared the duly elected Chairman.
The PDP in the state was thus in the hands of Wike and Secondus through their surrogate, Felix Obuah.
While Ake and co challenged the matter in Court, Amaechi had moved on to the APC with majority of the elected officers, Commissioners as well as 26 out of 31 members of the. State House of Assembly.
The stage was set again for a planned impeachment of the Speaker of the state Assembly, Otelemba Amachree which if it had succeeded, Amaechi would be next to be impeached. Reliable sources revealed that the presidency had through Secondus and Wike released the sum of N7bn for that purpose but the coup was foiled by the governor and his men, who were in the majority at the Assembly. Though many believed that the reason for the failed coup was due to the fact that the anti-Amaechi lawmakers were only five in number, the inside truth is that the money meant for wooing about fifteen lawmakers was diverted by those charged with the responsibility. That led to a somersault by the lawmakers whose signatures had been collected for the purpose removing Amachree.
While all these lasted, the deputy governor, Tele Ikuru had remained on the side of Gov. Amaechi. But sources later revealed that Ikuru who had refused to decamp to the PDP only stayed back in case Amaechi was impeached, as that would throw him up. As the governor. He was to remain in the cabinet until a time when Amaechi’s traducers succeeded in removing him as governor through any means available.
On the other hand, Ikuru had hoped that he would emerge as the governorship candidate of the APC considering his very close alliance with the governor who had not only given him a free hand to run the government in the absence of tje governor, but had also entrusted several financial responsibilities in his care.
It was gathered that Secondus had prayed for the emergence of Ikuru, where he would then convince the president to support him as a fellow Ijaw son, then Ikuru would after his election, defect to the PDP.
But Amaechi had read the danger in adopting Ikuru as the APC candidate even though he had little popularity amongst the political class as well as the masses. He was said not to be very comfortable with Ikuru as the candidate as that may spell doom for the party if Ikuru sold out by dumping the ticket last minute in order to suit the whims and caprices of his Uncle and political godfather, Uche Secondus.
The plot by Secondus to embarrass Amaechi and the APC using Ikuru was said to be the trump card of the smooth-talking politician. It was Secondus who was behind the resignation of Tammy Danagogo from Amaechi’s cabinet. Danagogo has been a political protege of ‘Total’.
The latest action of Secondus against Amaechi is to further prove his political prowess before the president as the man who holds the ace in Rivers politics. It is also said that the last minute defection of Ikuru to the PDP is to help Secondus ensure a hold on the party if President Jonathan wins the election, as Danagogo is not likely to be appointed again as Minister.
