A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has told the camp of Nyewom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja that nobody can prevent the Vice Presidential candidate of ADC, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi from delivering Rivers State to the party come 2027.
Eze, who spoke in a statement following claims made by Wike’s camp through former House of Reps member, Elder Chidi Wihioka, that Amaechi is not an Ikwerre son, as a desperate attempt to manipulate voters.
Wihioka, a former Amaechi ally, recently said that he possesses documents relating to the “balkanisation of Ikwerre” adding that he would prove that Amaechi is not an Ikwerre man.
The former lawmaker, who once worked at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Oyo, Taraba, Akwa Ibom and Ekiti States also boasted that Amaechi would be “caged” ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Eze urged Wihioka to stop making claims and produce the documents publicly, insisting that ancestry, and identity are not matters to be “settled through political threats, press interviews or convenient interpretations of history.”
Eze added that the threat to cage Amaechi is an expression of the mentality that regards politics as a contest of domination rather than a democratic process.
Eze said: “If Elder Chidi Wihioka genuinely possesses documents capable of disproving Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s Ikwerre ancestry, let him publish them and subject them to independent historical scrutiny.
“Enough of political theatrics. Let the documents speak. Let historians, traditional institutions and the people examine them. But he should not imagine that an unsupported political assertion suddenly becomes historical fact merely because it is repeated before journalists.
“Indeed, if Wihioka has such documents, why the threats? Why the suspense? Why not simply release them and allow the facts to speak for themselves?”
The ADC chieftain said that Wihioka’s attempt to suddenly question Amaechi’s Ikwerre identity because of politics amounts to political desperation and an insult not only to the entire Ikwerre nationality but Rivers State as a whole.
Eze said: “Identity should not become a political weapon that one deploys only when it is convenient. You cannot recognise a man as a son, associate with him politically and benefit from the political environment around him, only to begin questioning his ancestry when political interests change.
“History is not a political garment that can be worn today and discarded tomorrow. Amaechi cannot be caged. The people cannot be caged. Democracy cannot be caged.
“What can be caged in 2027 is the arrogance of those who have convinced themselves that Rivers State and its people are their political property.
He added: “Who gave Chidi Wihioka the authority to distribute the votes of Ikwerre people? Is Ikwerre now a political estate owned by Nyesom Wike? Are the sons and daughters of Ikwerre now political subjects who must receive instructions on whom to vote for?
“Let it be clearly understood: Ikwerre people own their votes. Not Wike. Not Wihioka. Not Amaechi. Not any political godfather.”
“If these allegations are false, let Chidi Wihioka publicly deny them with facts. And if they are true, then the people are entitled to ask a simple question: what has changed?
“Why has yesterday’s political relationship suddenly become today’s historical prosecution of Amaechi’s ancestry? This is precisely why the people must be wary of politicians who attempt to rewrite history whenever political circumstances change.”
