Amaechi’s wife didn’t extort money from us – Ex-Rivers LG bosses

Posted by admin Headlines, Rivers, State News Friday, June 23rd, 2017

Chukwudi Akasike, Port Harcourt

FORMER local government chairmen and commissioners in Rivers State during the administration of Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, have faulted a statement credited to Governor Nyesom Wike that the wife of the ex-governor extorted money from them.

The former chairmen and commissioners said in a statement signed by the former chairman of Asari-Toru LGA, Mr. Ojukaye Amachree, and ex-Commissioner for Sports, Mr. Fred Igwe, that at no time were they coerced or intimidated to pay any money to the former governor’s wife, Dame Judith Amaechi.

Wike had stated that former commissioners and council chairmen were forced to pay N2m and N3m respectively to Amaechi’s wife during the immediate past governor’s administration.

But the ex-council bosses and former commissioners said, “Nyesom Wike, since his assumption to office, appears to have a major agendum, which is to tarnish the sterling reputation of former governor, Amaechi; his erstwhile benefactor.

“He is bereft of ideas and unprepared for the task of governing a heterogeneous state like Rivers. We want to state that no (former) council chairman either individually or as a group of chairmen or state commissioners were told, coerced, intimidated or persuaded to pay any money to the wife of the former governor. And no money was given to her.

“On several occasions, Wike, hiding under the subterfuge of his office as an intermediary between the then governor and other elected or appointed public officials, made financial demands and extorted money from council chairmen, including arm-twisting them to award contracts to him.

“It is on record that several LGA projects then, including the new secretariat of Port Harcourt City Council and Etche Council, were done by Wike. Council chairmen and state officials were forced to contribute several millions of naira to Wike under the pretext of fighting his legal battle with the EFCC when he was arrested and tried for corruption.

“For the most flimsy excuses Wike placed hefty levies on council chairmen. Failure to pay is usually met with stiff sanctions,” the statement read.

They, however, warned the governor against perpetrating mischief against Amaechi’s wife and urge him to tender an “unreserved” apology to the wife of the former governor immediately or be ready to face the consequences.

Reacting, the state Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, insisted that the then council chairmen, commissioners and House of Assembly members were forced to contribute financially to the pet project of Amaechi’s wife known as Empowerment Support Initiative.

He said, “Ojukaye is a person who should not be taken seriously. Rivers are aware of what happened with the ESI pet project. Former chairman of Obio/Akpor, Timothy Nsirim, was sacked from office because he insisted that he would not contribute the LG money to ESI project.”

-Punchwp_posts