The former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has sued the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), its State Chairman Chief Felix Obuah and two others – Jerry Needam and Chris Konkwo – for false allegations at an Abuja High Court and is demanding N300 billion as general damages done to him and the defamation of his character, reputation and person.
Needam, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Rivers PDP Chairman, is also the publisher of a local newspaper, National Network; Konkwo is the Editor of the newspaper, said to be a propaganda medium for the PDP and Governor Nyesom Wike.
The defendants (PDP, Obuah, Needam and Konkwo) alleged that Amaechi owned foreign bank accounts and embezzled funds belonging to the state government.
The Rivers PDP, in a statement on August 6 and August 21, alleged that Amaechi stole $757 million (N80 billion) of Rivers State funds stashed in an account in his name at Bancorp Bank in Minnesota, United States of America (U.S).
Rivers PDP also alleged that the former Rivers governor embezzled millions of dollars belonging to Rivers State and stashed it away in other foreign accounts, including a bank in Switzerland.
The party alleged that Amaechi’s various foreign bank accounts were revealed and blown open by Christiane Amanpour of America’s Cable News Network (CNN).
The Rivers PDP also claimed that Bancorp Bank, Minnesota, had written to President Muhammadu Buhari that part of the funds was to purchase a home for Amaechi in the U.S, adding that the bank (Bancorp) intended to return the stolen fund to Nigeria.
Amaechi’s media office, in an online statement yesterday, said: “In the fresh suit, filed before an Abuja High Court, FCT, Amaechi stated that each of the malicious publications by the defendants is untrue and false, motivated by ill-will and without any foundation in truth whatsoever.
“The defendants made the libellous publications after the PDP failed the presidential election (of March 28, 2015) and with a view to rubbishing him (Amaechi) in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society and the persons to whom the libellous publications have been made.”
In his statement of claims in the suit, Amaechi said he did not steal $757 million (N80 billion) from Rivers State and did not stash it away at Bancorp Bank in Minnesota in U.S or Switzerland.
Amaechi said: “The Bancorp Bank in Minnesota in U.S did not at any time reveal that the plaintiff (Amaechi) embezzled or misappropriated or connived in the embezzlement and misappropriation of money meant for Rivers State people, amounting to $757 million (N80 billion) and stashed it away in his name with Bancorp Bank in Minnesota in U.S.
“The Bancorp Bank, Minnesota, U.S did not write and did not communicate President Buhari of any $757 million dollars allegedly looted by the plaintiff (Amaechi) that is kept with it and in Switzerland, since no such money was ever looted by the plaintiff.
“The plaintiff did not steal funds belonging to Rivers State and did not lodge them in any private foreign accounts. The plaintiff did not admit that he lodged and domiciled in his name in an account in Bancorp Bank, Minnesota, U.S any money, as alleged by the defendants.
“The plaintiff did not lodge $757 million or N80 billion in the bank account belonging to him and none was revealed or blown open by Christiane Amanpour of CNN.”
The former governor also said since the libellous publications by the PDP, Obuah and two others to the public, he had been inundated, bombarded and confronted by many persons, who expressed lack of respect, loss of faith in him and who no longer regarded him as trustworthy.
Amaechi said: “By the many publications, the plaintiff has been seriously injured in his credit, character and reputation and has been brought into public scandal, odium, contempt and his person, character and integrity lowered in the estimation of right-thinking members of the society. The publications are false and most disparaging of the person of the plaintiff.
“The defendants have widely further circulated the malicious publications to the public on the Internet. The wide and general circulations of the malicious publications have exposed the plaintiff to heavy and irredeemable ridicule, public odium, contempt and disparagement in the eyes of right-thinking and reasonable members of the society, including the persons already pleaded and other persons yet unknown and who will also be called upon to testify in the proceedings.
“The defendants have continued with the republication, recirculation and widespread republishing and distribution of the libellous publications to the public through the Internet, leading to a deluge of enquiries from the public and well-wishers, who have severally confronted the plaintiff with the very wild allegations of the defendants and to which plaintiff denied any looting or ownership of any looted funds or looting of public funds of Rivers State.”