A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has responded to recent claims made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, during his appearance on Channels Television’s *Politics Today*.
In the interview, Wike stated that he came from a wealthy background and attended school driving his own car, asserting that his upbringing differed significantly from that of his former principal, former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Wike also alleged that Dame Judith Amaechi, wife of Rotimi Amaechi, received N4 million monthly for a Rivers women training programme and vowed to resign if the ongoing forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) did not implicate her.
Reacting in a statement made available to journalists over the weekend, Eze, a long-time ally of Amaechi, dismissed Wike’s remarks as self-serving and historically inaccurate. He described Wike’s comments as a distortion of facts intended to project a false image to the public.
“Wike, who was once an errand boy to Amaechi, is today denying all those who contributed to lifting him out of the poverty that plagued his family,” Eze stated.
He further questioned whether Wike was self-made, noting that it was Amaechi who facilitated Wike’s political rise by supporting his emergence as Local Government Chairman, appointing him as Chief of Staff, and recommending him for a ministerial role during the Jonathan administration.
“Trying to claim how rich his father was, when poverty that radiated his family was as strong as the direct ray of sun, is denying his background,” Eze remarked. “His father, if alive, would be disappointed in his act of self-denial to justify his lavish living with public funds.”
Eze alleged that Wike’s father had disowned him due to character-related issues and claimed that it was the father of one of Wike’s friends who paid his school fees.
Commenting on Wike’s allegations against Dame Judith Amaechi, Eze questioned the credibility of the accusations and took aim at Wike’s own household.
“In his futile attempt to castigate Amaechi’s wife, who had genuine dealings with the NDDC, one is forced to ask whether Wike’s wife is fit for the exalted position of a Judge which she holds, given that sleeping daily in the same room and on the same bed with a character like Wike will definitely affect her sense of judgement in the delivery of justice,” Eze said.
On Wike’s tenure as Governor of Rivers State, Eze argued that his administration’s legacy was largely defined by the reversal or destruction of beneficial policies and projects initiated by Amaechi.
He pointed to the dismantling of agricultural and educational initiatives, including scholarship programmes, which he said were designed to boost food security and human capital development in Rivers State.
Eze concluded that Amaechi’s decision to empower Wike politically was “the greatest error in his political journey,” adding that Wike’s actions since then have only confirmed that concern.
