Exposed: Read how Amaechi diverted N40b in rivers state for Buhari's campaign
The immediate past governor of Rivers State
and current Minister of Transport, Chibuike
Rotimi Amaechi illegally acquired and diverted
not less than N40 billion of Rivers State funds
into the presidential campaign of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) which saw the
emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as President,
emerging details are revealing.
Funds running into billions of naira were
unaccounted for in sleazy misappropriations
allegedly facilitated and presided over by the
former Rivers State governor. Sources informed
about the shady deals under Amaechi availed
SIGNAL, details that show how Rivers State’s
treasury was emptied into private concerns of
the former governor as well as the APC
presidential campaign.
In October 2015, a Judicial Commission of
Inquiry, set up to investigate the sale of state
assets in Rivers State under Amaechi
demanded the immediate prosecution of
Amaechi and all his cronies involved in the
illegal sale of Rivers State assets. According to
the panel report, Amaechi misappropriated over
N97 billion in the sale of the state valued
assets.
“The commission recommends that the former
governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Rotimi
Amaechi, along with his former commissioners
for Finance and Power, Dr. Chamberlain
Peterside and Augustine Nwokocha,
respectively, should be held to account for their
roles in the sales of the power generation
assets of First Independent Power Limited and
the disbursement of the proceeds therefrom.
“Government accepts this recommendation and
directs the office of the Honorable Attorney-
General and commissioner for Justice, to
promptly set in motion the appropriate
machinery for the recovery of the proceeds of
the sale of the gas turbines from the former
governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and every other
persons implicated in the commission’s report,”
the Commissioner of Housing in Rivers State,
Emma Okah, who spoke on behalf of the State
Government, said.
In August 2015, reports in the Nigerian media
were awash with Amaechi’s ownership of
several foreign accounts. In one of the reports,
it was alleged that “the sum of over 757 million
U.S. dollars was stacked by Amaechi in a
foreign U.S. Bancorp/Minnesota account.”
In swift reaction, the Integrity Group, a non-
governmental organization, sent a petition to
President Buhari as well as the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission chairman to
investigate Amaechi for the over N70 billion
allegedly stolen from the Rivers State
government.
According to investigative reports, backed with
several documents attached to the Rivers State
Judicial Commission of Inquiry report, this
amount is separate from the N21 billion which
the PDP claims Amaechi transferred from the
Power Assets proceeds account of Access bank
to the accounts of three private companies with
a 25 Trans-Amadi Road, Port Harcourt address.
Those companies are Advante Consulting and
Management Company, Result Imports Experts
Company, and Capital Ltd.
The PDP in Rivers State claim that there are
many more instances of fraud and theft
perpetrated by the former Governor, which is
why they are asking President Buhari to probe
Rotimi Amaechi’s past. But instead of probing
Amaechi, his role as the benefactor of President
Buhari’s campaign was fatly rewarded with a
government appointment as Minister of
Transport under Buhari.
A source who did not want to be named
disclosed to SIGNAL that the sum of N6 billion
was single-handedly provided by Amaechi to
support President Buhari for the APC
presidential primaries alone. “The N6 billion
largesse Amaechi donated to Buhari just for the
primaries alone is what was partly spent
settling over 8,000 APC delegates. Buhari
outspent Atiku, Kwankwaso and the other
aspirants. Delegates were settled in hard
currency before and on the grounds of the
primaries. Seven bullion vans brought
Amaechi’s money into the arena of the APC
presidential primaries. How do you think Buhari
got the ticket? It was Amaechi’s money that did
the job”, the source said.
Amaechi also allegedly funneled over N30
billion into the overall presidential campaign of
the APC across the thirty-six states of Nigeria.
“Amaechi was the one spending most of the
money for media, for the US consultant David
Axelrod and most of the private jets and
vehicles used by APC during the campaign were
provided by him. That’s why he became known
even within his party’s circles as the ‘ATM’”, an
informed source who pleaded anonymity told
this newspaper.
As fresh facts continue to emerge, Amaechi is
alleged to have drained Rivers state reserves
from N55 billion to N1.24 billion within the time
frame of a single year. Out of the amount
allegedly withdrawn by Amaechi, N53.93 billion
was said to be without a list of expenditure.
BudgIT, a civic startup that disseminates
budgets and public data, made the revelation
via its Twitter handle. BudgIT stated that it
obtained the information from FBN trustees,
while disclosing the figures.
“Amaechi had access to over N3 trillion during
his eight years as Rivers State governor, but
failed to leave funds for the development of the
state. His only ambition was the wastage of
Rivers State money like a prodigal son on his
political ambitions”, a senior Rivers State
government official who did not want to be
named told SIGNAL.
More sleazy revelations on how Ameachi ran
Rivers State into penury have continued to filter
into the public space, the recent being how he
allegedly lavished the sum of N82 million on
the 80th birthday dinner of Nobel Laureate,
Prof. Wole Soyinka.
Despite the deluge of allegations, the former
governor has continued to deny the reports. In
one report, he denied ownership of bank
accounts in the United States and Switzerland.
In a statement, Mr Amaechi said the stories
were concocted to ridicule his person and
achievements. Efforts by SIGNAL to get
Amaechi’s side of the story have proved
abortive.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress
(APC), President Buhari’s ruling party has risen
in stout defence of Amaechi insisting that
officials of anti-graft agencies cannot probe
Amaechi without evidence. The party said that
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) would not touch leaders of the ruling
party except it has solid evidence.
No comments:
Please Drop Your Comments, it would take just few seconds
Want to be notified when I reply your comment? Tick the "Notify Me" box.