Since assuming office on May 29, President Buhari has made combating corruption one of his major priorities and anti-graft agencies have stepped up the prosecution of public officials as a result. However, the PDP has asked the president to be holistic in his approach to the matter by investigating the crimes against the former Rivers State governor and prosecuting him for theft.
Felix Obuah, the chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the PDP, admonished the former governor to stop hiding behind President Buhari and be man enough to respond to the alleged corruption charges against him. Governor Wike, who took over from Governor Amaechi on May 29, decided to look into the sale of valued assets and withdrawal of funds by the last administration.
Governor Wike has also set up a judicial commission of inquiry to begin investigating the administration of his predecessor Rotimi Amaechi. According to the PDP, Governor Amaechi was corrupt and they have urged the president and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and prosecute him.
Mr Obuah further alleged that the degree and number of fraudulent acts initiated and committed by the former governor were shocking and could no longer be glossed over. He added that a recent exposure of the former governor's corruption by CNN network called for an investigation.
“Amazed by new revelations by the Ammanpour Live report on CNN, bordering on monies stacked in various foreign accounts by the Ubima-born former Governor Amaechi, it will be foolhardy for any responsible government not to take the mind-blowing fraudulent charges from both local and international scenes seriously. The Ammanpour Live report said the sum of over $757m was stacked by Amaechi in a foreign United States Bancorp/Minnesota account.
“A non-governmental organisation, the Integrity Group has also petitioned President Buhari, as well as the chairman of EFCC of various cases of criminal breach of trust, unlawful self enrichment and conversion of over N70bn belonging to the Rivers State government by former governor Amaechi, among others. This is aside of over $105m, amounting to about N21bn which Amaechi hurriedly transferred from the sale of the power assets proceeds account with Access Bank into the accounts of three private companies," Mr Obuah added.
He named the three companies as Advante Consulting and Management Company, Result Import Experts Company and Capital Index, all with the same business address of 25, Trans-Amadi Road, Port Harcourt. Describing the alleged discoveries as curious and shocking, Mr Obuah said there was also another unlawful payment to and fraudulent conversion of N4.6bn by Clinoriv Specialist Hospital and Leisure and the unlawful enrichment of Messrs Collect Nigeria, allegedly used as a conduit pipe to the tune of N1.5bn to defraud the state government under the guise of consultancy.
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