‘I will celebrate if you leave PDP’ – Wike dares Amaechi, Amaechi Hits Back

The Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday dared the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and his supporters to leave the Peoples Democratic Party for another political party.

But Governor Amaechi said Wike should be more interested in how to get students back to the school instead of leaving Abuja every week to play dirty politics in Rivers State.

"As supervising minister for education, it should have been reasonable for Wike to bother about the fact that students roam the streets and take to heinous crimes because of a protracted strike by lecturers."

Wike said Amaechi and his supporters should join another party if they believed they are popular, promising that he (Wike) and his followers would celebrate the exit of the governor from the PDP.

The minister, who made this remark during a rally organised by the Grassroots Development Initiative in Port Harcourt, said “If you think you are so popular, why not join another party. The day they join another party, we will do thanksgiving. We will have to celebrate their exit.

“The day you dare it is the day you see the consequences. We are going to resist any attempt to say that our votes will not count. Everybody is jittery. Why are they jittery? We are not worried, they are worried.”

Wike claimed that the support for President Goodluck Jonathan in Niger Delta is not based on sentiments but because he (Jonathan) had done well.

Reacting to Wike's outburst, Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Tony Okocha, said he should concern himself more about the capital flight and the attendant brain-drain in the education sector in Nigeria.

“Rivers people are wiser. Wike’s ranting every weekend in Rivers leaves much to be imagined especially as the country is relapsing to the Dark Age.

“Rivers people are not opposed to Mr. President. Wike should stop his attempt to commonise the office of Mr. President in his attempt to curry under served favour.

“What may be in the issue is purely ideology, which is common with great minds. Wike should be thought that ideas rule the world. Petty mind discuss people,” Okocha said.