Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi says despite the effort by First Lady Patience Jonathan and the president to remove him from office, they are all leaving government at the same time. He said the president and his wife had wanted him to leave office before the end of his tenure but he is now seeing the end of his administration.
While speaking at the presentation of a special documentary titled 'The Amaechi Years', the governor said Patience Jonathan interfered with operations of the military apparatus in the state, ordering the transfer of military officers in the state just because they greeted him.
"People have asked me why I opposed President Goodluck Jonathan. When the fight started, instead of receiving money from the Federal government, we were sending money to the Federal Government. Have you seen a country where the Commissioner of Police reports to the wife of the President? That is happening in Rivers State. Have you seen a country where a Brigade Commander reports to the wife of the President or where the Navy Commander or Air force Commander reports to the wife of the President? This happened in Rivers State. The wife of the President will come, they will go and wait for her at the airport. She will tell them to come there at 9.00am, she will come by 12noon. They will escort her to her house, she will go upstairs and come down by 9.00pm and they will all be on ground waiting for her. She will say, I heard you greeted Amaechi last week. Why did you greet him? I will transfer you and you are transferred.
The more she did that, the more the President turned his back, and the more I fought because I felt that such a system is not a system that will make Nigeria grow. Why I agree with my friends who says forget the past because it is gone, I think it is a lesson. Governance is about the man that has been elected and he has the responsibility to deliver services to the people. There was a time when it was everywhere that the Supreme Court will remove Amaechi.
