The immediate past governor of Rivers State Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi
Amaechi has again explained why he is opposed to and wants to stop the
Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by his successor, Nyesom Wike to
probe some selected government transactions, while Amaechi was governor.
In a statement released by the former governor’s media office Sunday,
Amaechi reiterated and emphasized that he’s not afraid of a fair and
decent probe or investigation or inquiry of his administration; and would
cooperate and support such probe or investigation or inquiry in as much
as it’s done within the ambits of our laws.
The statement continues:
“However what Wike has set out to do is anything but a fair probe. The
commission will not be fair to Amaechi because it was set up to indict
him. Wike had repeatedly held that Amaechi, the person to be investigated,
acted illegally in the disbursement of public funds and that Amaechi ran a
corrupt government. Clearly, Wike has prejudged the matter and showed his
bias that Amaechi is guilty even before investigations. This means Wike,
with his prejudiced, made up mind has taken a position of a guilty verdict
even before the outcome is known or established.”
“The same Wike who had adjudged the yet-to-be-investigated conduct of
Amaechi as illegal and Amaechi as corrupt, is the same person that has
gone ahead to set up a commission of inquiry and will have the final say
on the findings of the commission. What a sham! “
“This bias and predetermined agenda to indict Amaechi is obvious even in
the terms of reference of the commission. In one of the defective terms
of reference, Wike said the Commission should investigate the
circumstances that led to the ‘sale of the state Hotel Olympia’. With a
fair and decent probe, the Inquiry should have been ‘to examine (or
investigate) the transaction concerning Hotel Olympia’. The difference is
so clear: In the former, jaundiced Wike’s Term of Reference, it has been
prejudiced and concluded that the Hotel was sold, while in the latter,
the Inquiry is open and fair, and may lead to a finding of a sale or a
lease or even a gift or even a pledge. Now, having so concluded that
Hotel Olympia was sold, would Wike be decent and humble enough to reverse
himself if documents showed it was never sold but concessioned or leased?
This is one of the dangers of Wike’s commission that harbours a
predetermined outcome in the name of
an Inquiry and Amaechi will not subject himself to Wike’s deceit and
phony shenanigans. Hotel Olympia was never sold. The hotel was only
concessioned (or leased) on the approval of the State Executive Council
and not sold.”
“Even while inaugurating his yeoman commission of Inquiry, Wike could not
conceal his vendetta agenda. He was clear to the panel members that their
job is to indict Amaechi. And to do this his dirty hack job, he got
Justice G. O. Omereji(the commission chairman), a man who is well known
to harbour a long held, extreme anger, hatred and animosity against
former governor Amaechi. And Justice Omereji has never disguised this
his stance and disposition towards Amaechi. As a matter of fact, Justice
Omereji even advised a former Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) chairman in
Rivers State on measures (to take) against then Governor Amaechi. He had
expressed his hatred for Amaechi several times to the NBA chairman who
was also an Attorney-General of Rivers State. How can we now expect
Justice Omereji to be fair to Amaechi, the person he passionately loathes
with extreme malice and venom?”
“Anyone who has been following events in Rivers State knows this Wike
probe is just a fraudulent sham, a deceptive mission to indict Amaechi.
Wike’s one-point agenda is to go after his predecessor. Immediately Wike
took over, he made a show and gave a performance of his false accusations
that Amaechi stripped the Governor’s Lodge bare, saying that the former
governor stole spoons, plates, knives, cups, mattresses, forks and even
curtains from the Governor’s Lodge! However, in the images Wike showed to
back his lies, the curtains in the lodge were clearly there, seen and
intact. Again, Wike claimed he met a completely empty treasury. That
again is another big lie and grand deception. We have said that former
governor Amaechi left billions of naira and we even went ahead to mention
the banks and give the names of the accounts the money were, as at May
29, 2015. We challenge Wike to publish the statements of these accounts
and other Rivers State
government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) accounts as at May
29; to prove his claim and show the public that Amaechi left an empty
treasury for him.”
“This Wike’s probe is dead on arrival. It’s ill-conceived and
ill-motivated. Wike’s probe is designed to twist and distort, or even
completely alter selected legitimate government transactions in his
desperation to cook up, and fabricate sham cases of corruption against
Amaechi. Wike’s probe commission shall not achieve anything beyond
political excitements, entertainment and theatrics.”
“Finally, Amaechi will continue to use every constitutional and legal
means available to protect his name and image from this massive smear
campaign, State-sponsored onslaught against him by Wike led government
whose sole agenda is a desperate search for a Rotimi Amaechi political
downfall.”