Date Published: 08/05/09
Amaechi and pressure of second term: A point of order
By Ifeanyi Izeze
The issue of the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi being under pressure is no longer in doubt as clearly evidenced from his now episodic public outbursts. But what is in doubt is the actual source of the pressure which from close observations seems to be resident or rather endothermic.
Contrary to the thinking that the pressure may be from the people both politicians and non-politicians, the main pressure, it seems, comes from Amaechi himself and this is where the real problem lies.
Some national dailies on Wednesday July 15 reported that the Rivers state governor at a stakeholder forum in Port Harcourt the previous day announced that he will not vie for the governorship position and thus would not seek re-election come 2011.
The reports went further to say that the governor urged the people of the state not to vote for him if he decided to seek re-election in 2011 as governor.
But in his swift reaction to the newspaper reports, Amaechi alleged that his comments were distorted and taken out of context, thereby presenting a wrong position to the public. The governor’s reaction was planted in almost all the national dailies.
Amaechi’s reaction to the media reports that allegedly quoted him out of context raised two crucial issues both bordering on credibility or rather integrity. It was either the governor actually said those things as reported without knowing the import of such pronouncements or that all the reporters that recorded him on tape and filed the story found it very difficult to understand the governor’s language. Which ever way, there is a serious credibility problem on both sides.
These were Amaechi’s words (as reported) in his address at the stakeholders’ forum at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Port Harcourt on July 14, 2009: "I am committed to developing Rivers State. When I finish the struggle of first term, I will rest. Governing Rivers State is war. There is so much lawlessness. Most governors and other politicians always do good during first tenure, to get re-elected. I am doing good now, since I do not want second tenure.”
Rather than engineer any form of damage limitation, the pressure generated by the governor’s speech also generated responses that further aggravated the credibility question.
One of the governor’s aide claimed that all the reporters who attended the stakeholders’ forum distorted and took his boss’ comments on second term bid out of context, thereby allegedly presenting a wrong opinion to the public.
According to the governor’s aide, “Second term is not an issue for him now, it is not on the cards for him now and his only interest for now is to develop and build a new state every Rivers person will be proud of and not in second term.”
However, few days later Amaechi in an interview in the Sunday Guardian said that he was under tremendous pressure to vie for a second term in 2011 and he was sure to win.
“I am not a second term governor. Politicians would wish I run for a second term. I will so wish that I run for a second term but it is not an issue. I believe you know that I am already under pressure from politicians.
“Going by the pressure, if it continues, I will run but if it does not continue then I won’t run. But the pressure is there so I will keep things open. I am among those who believe people should do their bit and get out.”
The implication of the above statement is that he would have done his bit by the end of the first term.
The question now is: What is Amaechi actually saying? Will he seek re-election in 2011 for a second term or not?
It was very clear that he wants to serve a second term from his declaration in the Guardian interview that even if he contests as an independent candidate in Rivers state, he will win for sure. This decision could be attributed to the “mounting pressure from Rivers people.”
Although Amaechi’s confidence is similar to any other politician’s idea of himself, he must have been convinced that the works he is doing in Rivers state are enough credentials for the people to want him back under any political umbrella.
Commendably, Amaechi within the first two years in office has shown that things could be done differently in the state to benefit the people but with all clarity of intent, the governor has not done anything extra-ordinary so far in terms of service delivery to the people of the state that should warrant this “Rivers earnestly ask for Amaechi mentality.”
In an article “What Odili Did Not Tell Amaechi,” I clearly stated it that Amaechi’s stay at the helm of affairs in Rivers state seems to be an exact mimic of Odili’s trajectory. The only clear difference now is in their gifts of oration and also in the gifts of interpretation. While one can speak his way through trouble, the other has shown all attributes of speaking his way into trouble.
Even Governor Amaechi would agree that Odili started out very well with seemingly unquenchable zeal to serve and deliver dividends of democracy to the people of the state. He initiated and honestly pursued several real-people targeted projects within the first two years of his government.
The “golden” governor started derailing when this same second term virus infected him. He started dancing the “na who be the manioo” reggae tune. Then he stopped dedicating Rivers state to God “as he carry rivers state turnam him own.”
Now, Amaechi is actually not interested in running for a re-election in 2011 but pressure from politicians and more from the grassroot people seems to be coercing him into reluctantly accepting to serve for a second term. Bros I hail you o!
When Amaechi came into office in 2007, he was literally possessed by the spirit of service to the people of the state. And having nobody who can claim to be his political godfather, he took decisions and steps that won him the admiration of almost everybody in the state- indigenes and non-indigenes alike and even people outside the state.
Though it may be unfair to say that the initial mass support the governor enjoyed seems to be weaning and at a dangerous speed too, Amaechi should do well to help the people understand his intentions, pronouncements and actions better to avert a repeat of the crucifixion Odili is suffering today in the hands of the same people that praised common sense out of his otherwise super human mind.
Amaechi should for now be wholly focused on service delivery to the people as that is the only thing will be remembered few years from today whether he is running for second term or not. He should pay attention to most of the projects he initiated majority of which are being compromised the executing contractors. At the end of the first tenure, rivers people should be able to point to tangible achievements in terms of infrastructures across all sectors of the state’s economy. Also, the people who wholeheartedly welcomed him as their own in November 2007 should be able to say that their standard of living had improved by Amaechi’s policies and programmes. This will be a more proactive approach to seeking re-installation.
IFEANYI IZEZE IS AN ABUJA-BASED CONSULTANT ON POLITICAL STRATEGY AND CRISIS COMMUNICATION ( iizeze@yahoo.com)
