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The Omuma ADC chairman, Felix Ekpendu, has condemned the reception organised for FCT Minister Nyesom Wike at Omagwa, questioning why the event was fixed for the same day Amaechi was burying his mother.
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Ekpendu accused Wike and his supporters of taking political rivalry too far, urging politicians to separate legitimate political competition from personal animosity.
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The ADC chieftain said holding Wike’s reception in Ikwerre Local Government Area on the day of Amaechi’s mother’s burial was provocative, particularly because the area has strong political associations with the former governor.
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Ekpendu also alleged that Wike’s supporters were mobilising for his arrival at the airport at the same time Amaechi’s supporters were preparing to receive the ADC presidential candidate and other dignitaries arriving for the burial.
September 05, (THEWILL) — The long-running political rivalry between former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has taken another turn, with a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accusing Wike of playing politics with bitterness and deliberately provoking Amaechi’s supporters.
Chairman of the ADC in Omuma Local Government Area, Felix Ekpendu, made the accusation on Saturday, September 5, while condemning a reception organised in honour of Wike at Omagwa in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Ekpendu particularly questioned the decision to hold the reception on the same day Amaechi’s late mother, Dame Ezinne Mary Oduah Amaechi, was being buried, describing the timing and location of the event as insensitive and unnecessary.
He said it was even more disturbing that the reception was being held in Ikwerre Local Government Area, which he described as Amaechi’s political stronghold, at a time when the former governor was receiving sympathisers and dignitaries for his mother’s burial.
The ADC chieftain alleged that the development could only heighten tension between supporters of the two political heavyweights, whose once-close political relationship has deteriorated into one of the most bitter rivalries in Rivers State.
Speaking on the development, Ekpendu said the response to Amaechi’s bereavement had demonstrated the former governor’s wide network of political relationships, noting that politicians and other prominent Nigerians had been visiting or contacting the family to offer condolences.
“Politicians and non-politicians have been calling, visiting to condole the former minister and former governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi and ADC vice presidential candidate,” he said.
“You have seen people from and outside the country trooping into the state, to his house, stakeholders of this nation, but we have not seen a Rivers son like Wike, and he is in Abuja there with him.”
Ekpendu said the absence of Wike from the condolence activities was particularly significant because of the political history between the two men and their shared Ikwerre background.
He recalled Amaechi’s political influence during his time in Rivers politics, arguing that several Ikwerre politicians benefited from the former governor’s rise and political influence.
“Being a brother, same Ikwerre and the man who made him what he is today, because without Rotimi Amaechi, all the Ikwerre sons today wouldn’t have seen light politically. It was through his influence as a speaker when Odili picked him (Amaechi) that he carried other Ikwerre sons along,” Ekpendu said.
According to him, Amaechi’s political activities helped create opportunities for other politicians from Ikwerre, including Wike, who later became one of the most influential political figures in Rivers State.
“Amaechi was trying to bring power to Ikwerre land. From there Wike became a beneficiary but today, like you see, the way the politics is being played, I condemn it. All over the world people have been condemning it, you don’t play politics with hatred, bitterness, it’s not good,” he added.
Ekpendu said the choice of Omagwa as the venue for Wike’s reception was particularly difficult to understand given the circumstances surrounding Amaechi’s mother’s burial.
He argued that the FCT Minister could have held the reception at another location or on another date instead of organising it in Ikwerre on a day Amaechi and his supporters were gathered for the burial.
“How can Wike agree to such programme fixed same time with Amaechi in his local government, not even your own local government?
“They are receiving you today in Rotimi Amaechi’s local government, in his community, is it not trouble? That one is no longer politics, it’s trouble, it’s very wrong, highly condemnable,” he queried.
The ADC chairman also expressed concern over alleged plans by supporters of the two camps to mobilise at the airport.
According to him, Amaechi’s supporters were preparing to receive the ADC presidential candidate arriving in the state for the burial, while Wike’s loyalists were also allegedly mobilising to receive the FCT Minister.
He said the situation could create avoidable tension, particularly if rival supporters converged at the same location.
“He saw that ADC candidate is coming from Abuja today for the burial and the same airport he will use. From what we heard he is trying to mobilise his own people because some supporters of Rotimi Amaechi are going to the airport to receive the presidential candidate for the burial of his vice mother, to take him to Ubima, and FCT minister too wants to operate that way, to bring his own loyalist to come and receive him too for an event in Ikwerre local government, is that called for?” he asked.
Ekpendu urged political actors to exercise restraint and avoid turning the burial into a platform for political competition.
He maintained that while politicians were entitled to organise supporters and demonstrate political strength, such activities should not be deliberately timed or positioned in ways that could be interpreted as provocation.
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From Allies to Bitter Political Rivals
The latest development is another reflection of the dramatic transformation in the political relationship between Amaechi and Wike.
Amaechi served as Rivers State governor from 2007 to 2015, after previously serving as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Wike, who was Amaechi’s chief of Staff, succeeded him as governor in 2015 after serving in the federal cabinet as Minister of State for Education.
Although both men were once political allies within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), their relationship has since broken down, with their respective political camps emerging as rival centres of influence.
The dispute has, over the years, extended beyond personal disagreements to encompass struggles over political structures, party control, succession and influence in the state
The ADC chairman maintained that political differences should not be allowed to descend into personal hostility or actions capable of provoking confrontation.
He urged Wike and other political actors in the state to exercise restraint, warning that Rivers State had little to gain from deepening divisions among its political and ethnic constituencies.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
