By Ignatius Chukwu

Copyright businessday

The kind of heavyweight crowd that surged at the EUI Event Centre, the biggest event centre in the Niger Delta, last weekend, to grace the 60th birthday celebration of Emeka Beke, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), seems to signal healing in Rivers political family.

Beke is from the famous Beke family dominant in Port Harcourt but from Emohua LGA of the Ikwerre ethnic section of the state. He is known to have loyally served Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi over the years and is the chairman of the Amaechi-backed faction of the APC in the state. His faction is rivaled by the Nyesom Wike backed faction led by Tony Okocha.

At his birthday celebration last weekend, the entire area was filled with exotic and beastly vehicles, and the expansive hall was filled to capacity.
Amaechi and his wife, Judith, were fully on ground and lent themselves to rib-cracking but sensitive jokes from endless line of comedians that the event manager and compere, K.O Baba Jornsen lined up.

Also present was Evans Bipi, the man who fought hard in the hallowed chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly years ago to impeach Amaechi and who was in fact named the new speaker. He worked with Wike for years against Amaechi.

The most intriguing was the presence of the Wike-backed 27 lawmakers that were known to attempt to impeach Sim Fubara to the stiff resistance of the likes of Bipi. His ally, Victor Oko-Jumbo, who became the new speaker but was annulled by the Supreme Court, was also present, facing the 27 lawmakers who he fought against for over one year in same place.

Others present were Dakuku Peterside, Emma Chinda, former Commissioners, Samuel Ogbuku NDDC boss, Hilda Dokubo who fought the lawmakers from her point as chairman of the Labour Party.

It was clear that Beke must be an exceptional politician to attract the rainbow coalition of Rivers politics just after appeals by Ibok ete Ibas, for political actors in the state to close ranks and stop acrimony.

Amaechi seemed to explain the mystery behind the coming of fierce opponents when he said Beke is a man of peace. He talked about a man with unbendable loyalty. A documentary played at the event called him a man at 60 without violence in a state that seems to win by violence. “He is a true Rivers man. Rivers life is marked by entertainment such as Rex Lawson and Harcourt White, all of the blessed memory.”

Speaking, Amaechi said: “I will try not to be political, so as not to spoil your day. I want to thank for your honesty, your leadership and for being a man of character. Few persons in politics can be said to be persons of character. Most Nigerian politicians practise the stomach ideology. They go to where they will fill their pockets. You have led the party. You have kept faith in God.

“We know that your wife is your strength, a wife willing to provide for the family if the husband was unable. We thank you, your wife and family. You will live long. And when you do, don’t forget to thank God.”

Speaking too, Alex Mbakwe (Sam Mbakwe’s son) said it was a thing of joy to see all the people that came for the sake of Beke. “It makes those of us that came from Imo to be here very, very happy. The person we are really celebrating today is Chief Beke (Emeka’s father). He was a wise man. We are happy that Chief Beke produced Emeka Beke.”

He joined to describe Beke as a very loyal person, one of 10 who grew under him that that remembered.

According to his profile, after working with Sam Mbakwe’s son, he established Peace-line Worldwide Nigeria Limited in 1995. He began his political journey in 1992 in the National Republican Convention (NRC) as a Local Government Area Youth Leader in 1992.