Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to approve what he described as the “psychiatric evaluation” of the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

He said the minister had to be checked for suggesting that he (Wike) negotiated with the President to allow him to emerge as second-term governor in exchange for the President’s victory.

Addressing non-indigenes of Rivers State at a campaign rally in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Governor Wike said that Amaechi’s “poor psychiatric” condition was responsible for what he described as his inability to grasp basic political issues.

Amaechi, had on Tuesday accused the governor of trying to negotiate with the APC to allow him to run for a second term.

He said this while addressing party supporters at President Buhari’s campaign rally in Rivers State.

The transport minister also alleged that the governor was afraid of his chances at the elections and therefore, he vowed to battle him to the last.

“You have a governor who is busy lobbying us, negotiating with us (let us give you presidency, you will give me governor). He is afraid, is he not? We will battle him to the last,” Amaechi said.

Wike, however, dismissed the claims, describing them as utter rubbish.

He said, “If I am their problem, why should I be negotiating with the President. It is utter rubbish. It is totally untrue. The President should help us bring a psychiatrist to review the situation of the Minister of Transportation.

“I plead with Mr President to do us this favour because our son is gone. We want to bring him back”.

Beyond that, the governor also expressed disappointment that the President watched the Minister of Transportation threaten violence on the people of the state, “without taking action”.

The governor, therefore, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Minister of Transportation to order.

He also urged the International Community, the General Officer Commanding 6 Division of the Nigerian Army and the Mobile Police Commander of Unit 48, to hold Amaechi responsible, should there be violence during the elections.

Also responding to comments made by the minister that Wike had betrayed him after he (Amaechi), made him Chairman of Council in the state, the governor urged Amaechi to learn the art of politics from him and other masters.

Amaechi had said: “80 per cent of those who have made a success in Rivers State, passed through me.

“Wike was my Chief of Staff, I made him Chairman of Council, I inaugurated him as a minister but when he saw Goodluck, he betrayed me.

“I have been betrayed serially… including senators. After you finish helping them, after praying for them, they will go and betray you for a pot of porridge. Saturday is our day.”

Contrary to the claims, however, Wike stressed that he was the one who made Amaechi governor when the Minister of Transportation ran to Ghana on exile.

On the allegations that the PDP in the state had secured a court judgement to prevent the APC from fielding candidates for the general elections, he said, “I did not take APC to court”.

“I never went to court against the APC. The matter is between APC and APC. How then did I cause the problem of the APC?”

He also wondered “why Amaechi is leading the unnecessary push for violence when they are not running for elections in Rivers State”.

•Excerpted from a Channels TV report

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