Orlukwu: Blackmail against Amaechi Will Fail
The All Progressives Congress Publicity Secretary in Rivers State and former Chairman, Emohua Local Government Area in the state, Hon. Godstime Orlukwu, in this interview with Jaiyeola Andrews, speaks on the last governorship election and the political cr
What is your reaction on allegations leveled against former governor Rotimi Amaechi by the state government? You see we have said it time and time again that the sole agenda of the Wike government in Rivers State today is to smear Amaechi’s image as much as possible so that he will be disadvantaged in the scheme of things in Abuja.
They are so desperately scared of Amaechi and that is understandable. Recall that Amaechi was one of the generals who led the battle against them in the last presidential election which they lost. So in the calculation of the PDP leadership, they must ensure he gets no reward for his labour.
They would spare nothing to smear him. But they will fail. You don’t prove corruption by shouting in newspapers and Televisions. You have to prove it.
You have to point at bank accounts, properties acquired and other assets tied to missing money. It is a well-known fact that former President Goodluck Jonathan while in office stripped Amaechi’s government of resources to even work. Even if the funds were there anyway, Amaechi’s lifestyle, disciplined upbringing and character abhors corruption. He hated the luxurious lifestyle of his associates. Those who worked with him, including Chief Wike disliked him for this frugal attitude. So the truth is that all the allegations you read and hear are all geared towards smearing his name. In the calculation of the PDP, If he gets a bigger appointment in Abuja, they know their party will fizzle out of the South south zone. What is happening therefore is that all the PDP leadership and loyalists of Jonathan and his Wife are in league to smear Amaechi’s name. This is fallout of the presidential election. Their target is to make him irrelevant in Buhari’s government at all cost. Unfortunately for them Buhari and the APC leadership know the truth and understand their gimmicks.
What is this allegation on Clinotech about? Chief Wike was Chief of Staff when that contract was awarded by the executive council before 2011. Wike himself as DG of Amaechi’s re-election ampaign defended the government over the Clinotech contract vociferously. If a contractor failed to deliver a job awarded, how does that amount to corruption? Besides, the contractor came up with explanation and a settlement was reached. Governor Amaechi had no hand on it then.
The matter was sufficiently investigated by security agencies on the orders of Governor Amaechi and by the way, government is a continuum.
Wike could still reopen the investigation and or prosecute culprits if he finds any. Wike the defender of the Clinotech project in 2011 is now the accuser in 2015. This indeed is funny. The Commissioner of Health Dr. Sampson Parker also took them on during the 2015 campaign on this issue. They never replied Dr. Parker.
What about the allegation on the sale of power assets? These guys are funny. Is there a vault in government house where Amaechi will stock the funds generated from the privatisation process? Haba. Government is not a credit and thrift society. The most important thing there is that due process was followed in the privatisation of the assets to ensure efficient management. Secondly, the funds generated were put into the state budget and expended as additional revenue lawfully.
The appropriation law is there for all to see. Let them refer to it and or publish it. Rivers money did not and could never have disappeared. You see, in the twilight days of Amaechi’s government, the Jonathan government strangulated the state financially.
This was because Amaechi was the pillar of the support for Buhari and APC. So the government relied on all available funds to finish some projects and also mobilised contractors to continue some others. Amaechi is such a clean man. He couldn’t have been fighting the presidency if he was corrupt.
That would have been suicidal. There were many investigations against Amaechi by federal agencies during that battle. Amaechi scaled them all. Do not mind what the witch hunters in Rivers state government are doing now. They know Amaechi. We all know ourselves.
What is the way forward? Let me say this, the Rivers State government should stop confusing itself. In one breathe, they claim they are probing. In another breathe they are pronouncing a guilty verdict already. Where is fairness and equity in that process? Those witch hunting are confused. Even on the day of inauguration of the panel, Chief Wike pronounced Amaechi guilty! In fact if you read the publications on Monday sponsored by the Rivers State government, one said that the money realised in the sale of power assets was never paid into government account while the other claimed that the money was paid in but later disappeared, this is laughable.
My advice is that these people should leave Amaechi alone. Amaechi is incorruptible. Amaechi does not live a luxurious life so he does not need to steal. He has no skyscrapers in Ubima, London or America. Amaechi does not have nothing.
We know all the thieves in our state. Again the presidential election has been won and lost. Any attempt to destroy Amaechi and his supporters because they fought for and delivered Buhari is futile and unfair.
We can see that Nigeria is in safe hands under President Buhari today. Amaechi and his supporters deserve protection from the APC and Nigerians. We did not commit any crime by supporting Buhari. Some northerners also voted Jonathan. They are not being harassed the way APC supporters are being humiliated in Rivers State.
The situation in Rivers State today is dire. It is not a crime to support our own party in an election. The APC should not underrate the capacity of the PDP to perpetrate mischief against those who risked their lives for the victory of our party.