Why Rivers State Senators Kick Against Rotimi Amaechi Ministerial Nomination

                          Rt Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi

Recently, the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry was set up to probe the administration of former governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and on Wednesday it submitted its report to the state governor, Nyesom Wike.

Though the former governor did not appear before the panel throughout its 30 days of sitting, the commission went on to conduct its investigations.

Presenting the report to the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike, the Chairman of the Commission, Justice George Omereji, hinted that some persons had been recommended to return mismanaged funds while others have been pencilled down for immediate prosecution.

Alhough the content of the full report is yet to be made public, sources say that the former governor is accused of allegedly misappropriating N53 billion from the State Reserve Fund between 2014 and May 2015. How true this allegation is, all depend on the legal defense formation and battling as may be instituted by the former governor in a court of such legal jurisdiction, to prove his innocence. At the moment, the media cum the general public still await the details of the outcome of the probe.

Governor Wike, on his part, stated that his government will not be intimidated, assuring members of the commission that its recommendations will be implemented to the letter.

Amaechi had tried to stop the probe panel but a Rivers State High Court on August 20 empowered the Commission of Inquiry to proceed with the probe.

However the presiding judge, Justice Simeon Amadi stated that the judicial commission of inquiry was not established to investigate the personal activities of the former governor, but to investigate previous actions of government as they affected the people of the state.

The judge also confirmed that Wike was empowered by law to probe Amaechi’s administration and those before him to see how the state’s resources were expended.

In a related compliance mood, the outcome of the probe has been presented as evidence by the senators representing Rivers State to the Senate as their stand to decline on the nomination of Rotimi Amaechi as a federal minister. The three senators from River State have declined the choice of Rotimi Amaechi as minister from Rivers State and this issue generated a steaming rancour in the Senate as members from the ruling party, APC, opposed such declination. The Rivers State senators however tendered the probe reports of the Rivers State Panel of Inquiry as evidence to be employed as yardstick for the screening of the ministerial nominee from their state by next week when ministerial nominees are scheduled to be screened.




- SADOH MS' Blog