The out-going Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, on Monday said he disagreed with President Goodluck Jonathan on principle.
The out-going governor said he was unhappy over the overbearing attitude of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
He promised to tell his story of a tortuous journey in power at the appropriate time.
Amidst applause, Amaechi boasted that his records in office are clean.
The All Progressives Congress chieftain said the clean mandate disabled the Presidency from setting the anti-graft agency against him.
Amaechi, who spoke at the presentation of a documentary on “The Amaechi years” said his disagreement with the President was based on the belief that events going on in the country were not good for governance.
He said: “People have asked me why I opposed President Goodluck Jonathan. When the fight started, instead of receiving money from the Federal government, we were sending money to the Federal Government.
“Have you seen a country where the Commissioner of Police reports to the wife of the President? That is happening in Rivers State. Have you seen a country where a Brigade Commander reports to the wife of the President or where the Navy Commander or Air force Commander reports to the wife of the President? This happened in Rivers State.
“The wife of the President will come, they will go and wait for her at the airport. She will tell them to come there at 9.00am, she will come by 12noon. They will escort her to her house, she will go upstairs and come down by 9.00pm and they will all be on ground waiting for her.
“She will say, I heard you greeted Amaechi last week. Why did you greet him? I will transfer you and you are transferred. The more she did that, the more the President turned his back, and the more I fought because I felt that such a system is not a system that will make Nigeria grow. Why I agree with my friends who says forget the past because it is gone, I think it is a lesson.
“Governance is about the man that has been elected and he has the responsibility to deliver services to the people. There was a time when it was everywhere that the Supreme Court will remove Amaechi.
“That was on until we defeated them at the Supreme Court. I told the Rivers people to go about their business because I have finished praying and that President Jonathan cannot remove me. We are leaving at the same time. They didn’t want me to stay to the end, but here I am staying till the end.”
