Amaechi: Wike trying to use me to steal Rivers funds

Rotimi Amaechi, the immediate past governor of Rivers state, has accused Nyesom Wike, his successor, of a deliberate plot to intimidate and blackmail him and officials of his administration.

According to Amaechi, Wike has been threatening civil servants into making false, phony and bogus claims of alleged corruption and corrupt practices against him and his wife.

Wike had claimed that Amaechi looted and vandalised the government house.

But Amaechi said Wike, whom he once appointed as commissioner, was making such “provocative utterances in order to siphon billions of naira from the State treasury” under the guise of renovating a vandalized and looted government house.

“I am aware that this (Monday) morning, Wike, in company of his coterie of court jesters, took some video cameramen and photographers on a tour of the Governor’s residence inside Government House. He took them to the Governor’s bedroom where he made further claims that the place has been looted,” Amaechi said in a statement signed David Iyiofor, his chief press secretary.

“The question to ask is, did Wike know what was in my former bedroom before now, to conclude that the bedroom was looted? Did he speak with or review with the Permanent Secretary of Government House, who is the chief accounting officer, before jumping into such hasty and misguided conclusion?

“Apparently, he had already reached a conclusion before arriving Government House, and all he has been saying and doing is to work towards that conclusion of looting and vandalisation. It’s instructive to note that on Friday, May 29, Wike had barred some key officials of Government House, including civil servants from accessing the place. Forty-eight hours later, he started shouting ‘vandalisation and looting’. This doesn’t smell right. I left the place intact. If there’s any vandalisation or looting in Government House after I left, Rivers people should ask Wike what happened.

“This is clearly a grand conspiracy to siphon state funds in the guise of renovating a vandalized and looted Government House and falsely smear my image. On the latter, Wike is sparing no expense, employing all sorts of insidious tactics to accuse me and rub me with the tar of corruption.

“I am aware that a plot is on by Wike to harass, intimidate, threaten, blackmail and do whatever it takes to get officials, including civil servants, who served in my administration to make false and phony claims of corruption against me, personally, and my dear wife, Judith; in spite of the fact that my wife was never an official of Government or public officeholder. These false, bogus and illusive claims can never be substantiated but Wike doesn’t care. All he wants is to taint my good name with screaming headlines of corruption and corrupt practices in the media. But, he will certainly fail.

“The video is a fraud.  Stage-managed to deceive and hoodwink the public.”