Two former Commissioners call out Governor Wike: A man without vision, dictator

BY IBRAHIM BAKARE

Two former Commissioners in Governor  Nyesom Wike’s cabinet who recently defected to All Progressives Congress,APC, have taken a swipe on their former boss, Wike for accusing of embezzling Public funds  while serving as Commissioners.

John Bazia, former Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs in Rivers state, not only denied the Governor’s allegations, but  accused Wike of playing “Area  boy politics and a dictator who does not take other peoples ideas”.

 Bazia who disclosed this on a radio programme in Port Harcourt said Government Wike lacks the credibility to talk about another person’s integrity.

Michael West 

John Bazia

He said he left the PDP to the APC due to the visionary leadership of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.

On his part, Michael West,who was Former Commissioner for Transport who also defected to APC but by Governor Wike of allegedly diverting State revenue into his private bank account challenged the Governor to make Public the private bank accounts as alleged.

He explained that the revenue generated by his Ministry was paid into Government account provide by the Chairman of the board of internal revenue of the State.

West threatened legal action against the Governor if within 24 hours he unable to show proof of his allegation.

A two time member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and 2014/ 2015 Governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, PCS.  Michael Ibinabo West,  has dumped the party.

West, who served as Commissioner in the Nyesom Wike administration, in a letter dated November 24,and captioned “letter of resignation of my membership of the PDP”, said his decision was based on gross relegation and humiliation..

He also accused the Governor of dictatorship and lack of vision and blueprint for the development of Rivers State.

“I still stand by accusation that Governor Wike has no vision for the State unlike his predecessor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Just because of his petty politics sustainable projects Agriculture like the Songhai farm that was capable of generating revenue and employment, Schools, hospitals and healthcare Centres etc built by Amaechi were abandoned”.

West further asserted he still stands by his criticism that it wrong for Governor Wike to build Six Flyovers on Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway while other local area lack social amenities.

He pointed out that it is quite ironical to call for the Governor to tag him and those he calls “Political neophytes” but their defection to APC in giving him and PDP nightmares. 

Earlier, the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has described two former Peoples Democratic Party members, John Bazia and Michael West, who recently decamped to All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, as political neophytes with slippery characters on live Television.

He said the two men who served as Commissioners in his cabinet during his first tenure, became disgruntled because he did not retain them.

The governor while speaking on a live television programme in Port Harcourt last  Friday, said the decision of Bazia and West to decamp to the APC was of no political consequence because they were politically irrelevant.

He further said: ” You knew the position of Chidi Llyod when he was in APC. Ask the former Commissioner of Transport (Michael West), he contested PDP primaries with me and got only three votes, but because of politics of carrying everybody along and the money he spent I decided to accommodate him. He was Commissioner of Transport, ask him his contribution to the administration.”

The governor explained that during his first tenure he almost sacked West as a Commissioner for taking 13 luxurious buses belonging to the State government to Calabar for a spiritual programme and also diverting funds generated by taskforce on transport into his personal accounts.

The governor had alleged that the reasons given by West for his resignation from the PDP was that they didn’t allow him to head his ward executive committee of the party.“So how can we give somebody we know that will be leaving the party party EXCO? So that when he is defecting, he will say has defected with entire EXCO. He thinks he is more smarter than any body? These are neophytes in politics. We all kept eye on them.”

Speaking on former Commissioner of Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, John Bazia, Governor Wike revealed that while serving in the State executive council, Bazia caused him so much embarrassment. And one occasion.