BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM – Just days after his failed attempt at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential slot, trouble has come knocking on the doors of former Transport Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, over his alleged fraudulent sale of Rivers State assets and diversion of $50 million.
Courtesy of the recent Supreme Court judgment, Governor Nyesom Wike has ordered the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Zaccheaus Adangor to commence immediate prosecution of his predecessor and those involved in the alleged scam.
Drawing strength from apex court’ ruling, Governor said others to face prosecution with former Minister include Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Tonye Cole and his company Sahara Energy.
According to him, the Rivers people and the world need to know what actually happened to the $50 million that disappeared from State’s account without any proof of business where it was deployed to service.
Speaking at the Executive Chamber of Government House, Port Harcourt, during the inauguration of three new commissioners on Friday, Governor Wike said: “Attorney General, you’re at a critical period where people want to know what the State is going to do with the Judiciary Panel of Inquiry after the Supreme Court judgement on it.
“Luckily, you came at the right time when we have preferred criminal charges against the former governor (Amaechi), Sahara Energy, Tonye Cole and the rest of them.
“So, you are coming at the right time to take over the matter and to make sure it is prosecuted diligently. I don’t want to hear excuses. Let the people see what happened to our money.
“The world will see how $50 million from our account was moved to a company without nothing to show whether there was a business.”
The Governor further directed Adangor to send a protest letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the harassment of the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Siminalaye Fubara.
He expressed unhappiness that the anti-graft agency and its personnel attempted to harass and intimidate Fubara, who before his emergence as the PDP governorship candidate, served as the Accountant-General of Rivers State.
Wike warned the Commission to beware that the era of impunity and flagrant disobedience to the rule of law was gone and his administration would not condone such behaviour.
He threatened to sue the EFCC for contempt if it fails to retrace its steps, adding that hitherto, the Rivers State government had secured a subsisting court judgment against the EFCC stopping the commission from investigating the state finances or its officers.
The governor also said there was also another subsisting judgment against EFCC by the PDP governorship candidate on the enforcement of his fundamental rights.
“Rivers State government had judgment against EFCC since 2007. The court said you (EFCC) has no business in the financial transactions of the (Rivers) State. EFCC has been struggling to set aside that judgement until now. They have not even appealed it.”
Wike said nobody would accept the use of EFCC at such political period to intimidate persons in order to achieve their skewed goals, cautioning that; “We are in a political period. People should not think that they will use EFCC to intimidate or manipulate him (Fubara).
“Nobody will accept that. So you (Attorney General) have to attach the judgment of the candidate against EFCC and send the right signal to them that we are not people that can be cowed.”
The Rivers Chief Executive praised the newly sworn-in commissioners for showing capacity, loyalty and commitment in previous assignments without excuses.
He promised to carefully in constitute his cabinet to full capacity because at such twilight of his administration, only people with undivided loyalty were needed to ensure good ending.
“I want to commend three you that you have shown commitment, you have shown hard work, you have shown loyalty. And for me, that is the only way to pay back the people who have shown in spite of all odds, they are still there with you”, the Governor said.
The trio sworn-in and their portfolios are Prof. Adangor – Justice Commissioner; Isaac Kamalu – Commissioner of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning; and Dr. George-Kelly, Dakorinama Alabo – Commissioner for Works and Special Projects.
