Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwumeka Eze has described the prosecution of former Minister of Transportation, HE., Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi and the Rivers APC Governorship Candidate, Pst. Tonye Cole over alleged N76B proceed from sale of Rivers Assets as a ploy carefully crafted by Governor Nyesom Wike to divert attention and conceal the alleged misappropriation of N345B and N20B on his elusive Presidential and Vice Presidential Dreams.
Eze in a statement he personally signed highlighted that the Supreme Court judgement maintained that Judicial Commission set up by the Wike’s Administration lacked Powers to try Ameachi as the probe panel was a mere fact-finding commission and most importantly too, the said N96B was duly captured in the 2014 budget of the State.
“According to the Supreme Court, the Rivers State commission of inquiry that indicted former governor Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi, is a mere fact-finding body with no powers to engage in the trial of anybody for anything whatsoever.
“But Wike not relenting in his vendetta against a man who not for the grace of God in his life he wouldn’t be whatever he is claiming to be politically after failing and being rejected by the stakeholders and elders in his sinister motive still went ahead to direct his Attorney General to go ahead and pursue an issue he is fully aware is like chasing a shadow.
“Nigerians are very much aware of Chief Nyesom Wike’s desperation to drag Amaechi’s name in the mud in order to continue to portray him as a corrupt person before the public
“To begin with, Governor Wike would have released Sim Fubara to the EFCC to explain how such whopping sums could be withdrawn on a single day instead, he iempowered supporters of the Rivers State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Sim Fubara to beat up officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when the EFCC operatives attempted to arrest him when the chartered plane carrying him and other PDP members landed at the Omagwa Airport in Rivers State from Abuja.
“His plots against Amaechi and the Rivers APC is an exercise in futility. He will not allow EFCC to investigate the former Accountant General and his guber candidate but he is giving directives to AG to file a case against his predecessor even when there is a perpetual injunction gotten by Gov. Odili against probing the financial activities of Rivers State Government officials. Let’s see how the Judge to handle this matter will ignore this existing injunction”.
“Wike shouldn’t use Amaechi to cover the massive looting of the Rivers State treasury and explain how he wasted a whopping sum of N20Bn in pursuance of his failed presidential bid and bow the report trending is that he has also spent undisclosed amount in millions of dollars to bribe a panel to choose him as a running mate for Atiku Abubakar”.
” I join Dr. Dakuku Peterside to ask Wike to explain the rationale of his donation of about N10bn of public funds in unsolicited charity to States, and about N20bn pursuing his ill-fated presidential bid.
“The Governor is grossly corrupt and has only succeeded in ruining all forms of governance as Rivers State was named amongst other States that couldn’t attract one single investment to the State.
“For the Accountant-general to be declared wanted for N345 billion fraud by EFCC to be declared the Flag-Bearer of PDP in the 2023 gubernatorial election is nothing for Wike to protect all that he has looted and if Rivers State and his people are to be quiet and allow such group to be sustain in their state in government then the State will be ruined”, he stated.
Eze cited a report by the National Bureau of Statistics which showed that only Lagos, Oyo, Katsina, Anambra states, and the Federal Capital Territory attracted investment during the 1st quarter, regretting Rivers State under Wike has failed to attract a dime to the economy from investment.
“According to the NBS’ Nigerian Capital Importation (Q1 2022), the total value of capital imported into Nigeria in the first quarter of 2022 stood at $1.6bn from $2.2bn in the preceding quarter, showing a decrease of 28.09 per cent.
“By destination of investment, Lagos State remained the top destination in Q1 with $1.1bn accounting for 71.16 per cent of total capital investment into Nigeria. This was followed by investment into Abuja (FCT), valued at $446.8m(28.40 per cent).
“Anambra Oyo and Katsina states followed, with each raking in $4.1m, $2m and $700,000, respectively.
“On the other hand, Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna and Kebbi states failed to attract any foreign investments during the period under review”, he noted.
The party Chief lamented that the era of Wike as Governor will continue to be remembered as a watershed and monumental waste in the annals of governance in Rivers State and it will be of unblessed memory.
He called on Rivers people to use the window of the 2023 election to correct every error of the past by electing Pst. Tonye Cole and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress, to inject a new lease of life on the economy and other aspects of statecraft.
