By Friday Agi
The cold war between the Rivers State Governor, Rt.
Hon. Chibuike Amaechi and his former chief of staff and current Minister of
State for Education, Barr. Nyesom Wike has dealt a blow to the support and
loyalty of party faithfuls in the local government areas of the state.
The latest casualty is the Tai local government
area, as a former local government chairman and incumbent federal lawmaker
representing Oyigbo/Tai/Eleme constituency in the Federal House of
Representatives, Hon. Barry Mpigi threw decorum to the winds and freely
engaged. Dr. Jacobson Mbina, a one time chairman of Tai local government area
and currently a lecturer with the University of Port Harcourt, in a physical
combat over $10,000 dollars allegedly doled out to them by the honourable
minister.
A competent
source said that it all began in February, this year when Hon. Barry Mpigi led
a delegation of Tai political top notchers on a solidarity visit to the
Minister of State for Education, Barr Nyesom Wike in Abuja. In the delegation were Chief Monday Ngbor and
Dr. Jacobson Mbina, all political heavyweights and professed loyalists of
Governor Chibuike Amaechi.
The delegation
was warmly received by the minister, as the August visitors pledged the
unflinching support of the people of Tai local government and promised to stand
by the minister until the political battle with Amaechi is fought and won. The minister expressed gratitude for the
visit and assured the visiting politicians that the political armageddon would
end in his favour and he would surely carry the day in 2015, the source added.
The honourable
minister gave them a specific instruction to appoint a politician of integrity
with high organisational skills as coordinator of the group in Tai local
government area.
It gathered that
the honourable minister doled out $10,000 to the delegation for their transport
fare back to Port Harcourt.
On leaving
Abuja, the trio shared the largesse among themselves with the Federal lawmaker
who received the money on behalf of others taking $4,000 while the two
delegates had $3,000 each.
Checks by Beacon newspaper
revealed that few days after their arrival, the delegates
quickly converged at a royal father’s Palace, HRH Chief Samuel Nnee to brief
their camp on the outcome of the Abuja solidarity visit.
The source also
said that after briefing their camp members of the assurances and specific
instructions given by the honourable minister of state, it was time to make
nominations to fill the new positions created by virtue of being Wike’s
supporters.
It gathered that the federal lawmaker fired
the first salvo by nominating Dr. Peter Medee, a lecturer with the University
of Port Harcourt and frontline politician in Tai local government area. Chiefs
Jerry Mmeabe and Monday Ngbor jointly nominated Mr. Gana Godam, who is chief
Nmeabe’s brother-in-law.
Our checks
revealed that Gana Godam had earlier been introduced to the minister by an
Ikwerre friend. Contrary to expectation,
Dr. Jacobson nominated himself for the position of coordinator for the group. The source hinted that both the federal
lawmaker and Jerry Mmeabe shouted him down, accusing him of being selfish and
egocentric. This angered Jacobson as he
expressed his disappointment over the level of greed of the federal lawmaker. He lashed out at Barry, counting his favours
from Wike to include two primary school mouth-watering contracts awarded to him
under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
One at Marihu, Ndoki in Oyigbo local
government area and another at Bunu Tai in Tai local government area, in Rivers
State. In addition, he (federal
lawmaker) took $4,000 out of the $10,000 the minister doled out in Abuja.
The Ex-council
boss was irked by the federal lawmaker’s determination to appoint his loyalist
as coordinator despite all these favours from the minister. He challenged Barry to mention any leader he
has carried along in the contract largesse.
A source told Beacon, that
at the mention of the hard currency, the entire house flared up and the meeting
was thrown into confusion. At this
point, the Federal lawmaker rained insults on the former council boss. The
federal lawmaker recalled that it was only Jacobson who did not condole him
over the death of his bother-in-law. The Beacon learnt that Barry
Mpigi lost his brother-in-law who was his site manager at the primary school, Ndoki
site of his contract. We gathered that
both politicians threw decorum to the winds as they engaged each other in a fisticuffs.
The situation almost escalated
but for the quick intervention of the chairman of Tai local government council,
Hon. Gbenekanu Kuapie, who brought the situation under control.
The Beacon also gathered
that when at last, calm returned to the house, Barry withdraw his nomination
and supported the candidature of Gana Godam.
The meeting
unanimously adopted Mr. Gana Godam as the coordinator of Wike’s group in Tai
local government area.
Unable to wait
for Gana’s acceptance speech, Dr. Jacobson Mbina stood up and pronounced
himself coordinator of the new political group. According to him, Gana is a
baby politician without experience. He lacks both moral and political clout to
lead such a formidable political group.
Therefore he (Jacobson) cannot step down for him.
The Beacon gathered that
the Wike’s camp in Tai local government area now parades two coordinators. Dr.
Jacobson has vowed not to back down while the federal lawmaker refuses to
accept him as a coordinator.
Though divided,
they stand as Wike’s group in Tai local government area of Rivers state. Recently the
federal lawmaker held Jacobson by the jagular when he masterminded the removal
of Mrs. Jacobson as a supervisor in the Gbenekanu led administration of Tai
local government council, our source hinted.
At the time of
filling this story, efforts to reach the federal lawmaker on the phone failed
as his line could not go through. Text
messages sent to Dr. Jacobson on his Glo line to get his reactions were also
not replied.
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