By Adesina Soyooye
The All Progressives Congress, APC, Rivers State Chapter, has tackled the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike over his decision to prosecute its Leader and the immediate past Minister for Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi in Court over alleged fraud against the State Government.
Wike had, on Friday, ordered the newly sworn-in Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Zacchaeus Adangor, to immediately start Amaechi’s prosecution over an alleged fraudulent missing of the sum of $50m, proceeds from the sale of a couple of Rivers State assets.
Wike said that money was transferred to the account of Sahara Energy, a private company owned by Tonye Cole. Mr Cole is the APC Governorship candidate, Rivers State, in the upcoming election in 2023.
Wike had set up a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to investigate how the money ended up in Sahara Energy’s account. The panel handed in an indictment against Amaechi. But Amaechi had gone to Court to challenge the Panel’s report.
A couple of weeks ago, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Rivers State Government to embark on the prosecution of Amaechi. To be in Court with him are Cole and Sahara Energy.
Wike: “The world will see how $50 million from our account was moved to a company without nothing to show whether there was a business.”
But in a swift response, Rivers APC said Amaechi and Co were not afraid of appearing in Court.
In.a statement signed by its Spokesman, Chris Finebone, the APC said only the guilty are afraid, because the Court is not a place for persecution.
Finenone: “If you are sure of yourself in whatever you are doing, you need not be afraid. The Court is not a place where they take you to, then they just order that your neck be cut off.
“The Court is where justice prevails. So, no right-thinking innocent person should be afraid to go to Court because it is not a one-sided place.
“As it is now, Amaechi and Cole are not culpable. We know that, and even the State Government, that is Wike and his people, know that.”
The assets sold include Power Turbines and the Olympian Hotel, Porthacourt.
