"This should be the last time you open your mouth to talk about this state because you are a total failure as far as this state is concerned."
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has renewed his fight with the former minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
Messrs Wike and Amaechi were presidential aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress respectively in this year's presidential primaries.
They both lost in the primaries.
Governor Wike is currently engaged in a political battle with the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for refusing to pressure the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to relinquish his position for the sake of a "regional balance".
Both Messrs Atiku and Ayu are from northern Nigeria.
Mr Amaechi is a former governor of River State. Mr Wike served him as a chief of staff, after which Mr Amaechi nominated him for appointment as a minister under President Goodluck Jonathan.
The two politicians, who hail from the same Ikwere ethnic nationality, fell out after Mr Ameachi defected to the APC and supported President Muhammadu Buhari for president in 2015, while Mr Wike, a governorship candidate of the PDP then, supported Mr Jonathan's reelection bid.
Mr Wike later won the 2015 governorship election against Mr Amaechi's preferred successor, Dakuku Peterside.
Mr Amaechi was at the burial of an elder statesman in the state, Tonye Graham-Douglas on Saturday in Port Harcourt where he expressed displeasure that Late Graham-Douglas was not given a state burial, despite his contributions to the state while alive.
"Indeed, when he fell ill, going by the contributions he has made in the state, I was expecting the state to take responsibility for everything concerning Graham-Douglas. You don't need to be a governor for the state to recognise your contributions," Mr Amaechi said.
Late Graham-Douglas, a Nigerian politician who hails from Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of the state, had served as a federal minister during the military era and democratic dispensation.
Wike fires back at Amaechi
Governor Wike fired back at Mr Amaechi less than 48 hours after, saying the former minister should be ashamed of himself.
Speaking during the commissioning of a project in Port Harcourt on Monday, Mr Wike described Mr Amaechi as a "total failure, as far as this state is concerned."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Governor Wike recounted what his government had done for the late Graham-Douglas, popularly known as "Alabo". He said the state government withdrew from the burial "after it was discovered they wanted to play politics with the burial".
"Well, let me use this opportunity to say, I am so disappointed that the former minister of transportation, Mr Amaechi, would still come to this state to talk about this government of not giving Alabo a state burial. It's unfortunate.
"I asked him (Amaechi) when Alabo was sick, where were you? This State Government committed so much money to make sure Alabo survives. I want to challenge anybody, we (state government) did not spend less than N50 million to make sure our elder statesman survives.
"You went for burial and say you are not happy that the state didn't give late Alabo state burial. Why will I do that when I saw you people have brought politics to the man's burial? I said, let me withdraw myself. I don't want to be involved in politics.
"This should be the last time you open your mouth to talk about this state because you are a total failure, as far as this state is concerned." Mr Wike said.
