I Shunned Centenary Events To Pay Back Jonathan ––Amaechi

Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has said that he stayed away from the jamboree centenary in Abuja in order to get even with President Goodluck Jonathan who also shunned invitation to 100years anniversary of the city of Port Harcourt few months ago.



The governor explained that even when prominent elders of Rivers State visited President Jonathan in Abuja and invited him to the event in Port Harcourt, he refused to be at the occasion.

In the words of Governor Amaechi, “When they ask me why I did not attend the celebration, I said five prominent Rivers men left here to go and invite the President. When they approached me that they wanted to go and invite the President, I said, ‘don’t bother your head, the President won’t come’.

“They said ‘no, not after he had seen us.’ They (the elders) are seated hear, Justice Karibi Whyte, Prof Tekena Tamuno, Prof E.J. Alagwa, Chief Agbaru and Prof. Nimi Briggs; and they went. They were very well received by our President and they were very impressed. 

“They came back to my house that day in Abuja and they told me that they met with the President and I was excited. Everybody in the Federal Government told me the President would come (for the Port Harcourt centenary). The President did not come."

Amaechi, who spoke at a book presentation to mark the 70th birthday of Prof. Nimi Briggs, on Saturday, said everyone had expected Jonathan to honour the invitation considering what the state did for him.

“So, I told them that I would not go to centenary because Port Harcourt turned 100 and the President refused to come even though he grew up here.

“I did that not because I wanted to disrespect the President. I respect him for his age and his achievement in the society. I thought the Federal Government should have respected and honoured that invitation,” he said.