FORMER Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi has flown into London apparently exasperated at not been appointed as the new secretary to the federal government by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Earlier this week, President Buhari made several key appointments including naming Babachir David Lawal from Adamawa State as the secretary to the government of the federation and Abba Kyari from Borno State as his chief of staff. It is believed that Governor Amaechi had been promised the secretary to the federal government position as was distraught at not being appointed.
According to All Progressives Congress (APC) sources, Governor Amaechi was edged out after incumbent Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike submitted a damning report on his predecessor to President Buhari. Governor Wike had constituted a seven man judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the sale of some state assets as well as the projects for which funds were allegedly released but not executed.
Former deputy governor, Ted Ikuru alleged that his former boss spent N812m to furnish his private residence, adding that the former government also spent N4.96bn on the proposed Justice Adolphus Karibi Whyte Hospital with no structures on the ground. In his report to President Buhari, Governor Wike also raised the issue of the sale of the Omoku 150MW, Adam 360MW, Trans-Amadi 136MW and the Eleme 75MW gas turbines.
According to APC sources, Governor Amaechi left the shores of Nigeria in anger for the UK because of what one of his close allies tagged utter shock with President Buhari’s appointments. Governor Amaechi was the cash cow and the arrowhead of President Buhari's campaign but because of the damning report, he was considered too damaging for him to be associated with a government elected to fight corruption.
One APC source said: “Wike we all know had told the world everything Amaechi did would be checked out but there were other forces that ensured Buhari took a look at the preliminary report on the alleged large scale fraud by his administration. The problem Buhari had was, he was careful about Amaechi because he did not want his secretary to the federal government to be indicted for large scale fraud because some of the evidence against Amaechi were damning.”
Two weeks ago, Governor Amaechi was screened by the Department of Security Services for the position of secretary to the federal government, after which a dinner was organised in his honour in Port Harcourt. Apparently Governor Amaechi had insisted he would not accept anything less than the post after being a two-term governor.
One of Governor Amaechi's supporters added, however: “It was a big shock to him. This is a man who almost laid down his life, fought Jonathan his kinsman to the end, spent billions of his own money and state money to ensure Buhari emerged and is treated this way.
“Who is the new secretary to the federal government? Where was he when we were working hard for Buhari?”
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