PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has questioned the explanation given by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for his absence from the burial of the mother of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
Wike had reportedly said in a recent interview that he expected Amaechi to personally inform him of his mother’s death or write to him before he could offer condolences. Dame Ezinne Mary Orduah Amaechi was buried on September 5 in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Reacting in a statement issued on Wednesday, Eze, a former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), argued that condolences over the death of a parent should not ordinarily depend on a formal invitation from the bereaved.
He said the death and burial arrangements were matters of public knowledge and maintained that personal political differences should not prevent expressions of sympathy during bereavement.
Eze questioned the rationale for requiring Amaechi to formally communicate the death before Wike could extend condolences, describing the explanation as part of what he sees as the continuing political disagreement between the two former Rivers governors.
His position comes against the background of a long-running political dispute between Wike and Amaechi. The two men previously worked together politically in Rivers State but have since become prominent figures on opposing sides of the state’s political divide.
Eze also rejected Wike’s reported reference to Amaechi’s public engagements during the mourning period, particularly his attendance at the Nigerian Bar Association conference.
According to Eze, participation in a professional or public engagement should not be taken as a measure of the depth of a person’s grief.
He argued that bereavement does not necessarily require a person to withdraw completely from public activities and said individuals should be allowed to manage personal loss in their own way.
Eze further called on both political camps to move away from personal exchanges and concentrate on issues of governance, policy and the competing political programmes ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Politics is inherently competitive, but political competition ought not to become an interminable vendetta,” he said.
The ADC chieftain also appealed to political leaders to exercise restraint in their public statements, arguing that Nigerians facing economic, security and institutional challenges needed political discourse to focus more on issues affecting the country.
He said the presence of prominent political figures from different backgrounds at Dame Amaechi’s funeral demonstrated that political differences could be set aside during moments of bereavement.
Reports on the September 5 funeral indicate that several prominent political figures attended the ceremony in Ubima, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and ADC National Chairman David Mark.
Eze said the circumstances surrounding the burial should not become another platform for political confrontation and urged Wike and Amaechi to keep their disagreements within the boundaries of political competition.
He maintained that Wike remained entitled to his decision not to attend the burial but said the explanation offered for that decision was open to public scrutiny.
The latest exchange adds another chapter to the continuing political disagreements between the two former Rivers State governors as political activity builds ahead of the 2027 general elections.
