The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), may have suffered its first major casualty of the anti-corruption war as a member of President Muhammad Buhari’s Federal Executive Council, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has been fingered as the owner of the $43 million and other assorted monies found in a flat in the high brow Ikoyi, Lagos area.
The allegation against Amaechi which was initially made by the spokesman to the Ekiti State Governor, Lere Olayinka and PDP chieftain Femi Olukayode has been re-echoed by the Governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike.
In a statement released to the media, Governor Wike speaking through his media aide said Amaechi diverted the money he made from selling gas turbines in a deal with Sahara Energy. Wike described Sahara as cronies of Rotimi Amaechi.
Addressing journalists at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday night, Governor Wike said:
“The money in question belongs to the former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. We want to confirm that the houses in Ikoyi also belong to Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. “If you recollect in 2015, we said that gas turbines built by Former Governor Peter Odili were sold to Sahara Energy, business partners of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi at $319million. “That money was used to sponsor the All Progressives Congress for the 2015 general elections. From the date of sale of the gas turbines to May 29, 2015, the money depleted from $319million to $204,000 . What was stashed at the Ikoyi residence was part of that fund”. He said : “We have facts to prove that the said money belongs to the Rivers State Government. The Federal Government must return our money”.
Governor Wike said all the stories being peddled about the money belonging to the National Intelligence Agency are false and mere face saving measures by the embattled APC Federal Government. He said: “As I speak to you, the Federal Government is so embarrassed that this has happened. All the stories that the money belongs to the NIA are fake”.
Governor Wike challenged the Federal Government to set up a panel of Inquiry, which will sit publicly to investigate the money, if it doubted the claim of the Rivers State Government. He stated that the Rivers State Government needs the money to complete an array of projects, insisting that on no account would this criminal activity be swept under the carpet. The governor said as long as the Federal Government continues to disturb the progress of Rivers State, so long will God throw the Federal Government into confusion. “We are giving them seven days to return our money. Otherwise, we would take legal action to recover our money. $43million will help us complete several projects. We need that money for projects”, he said.