GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Saturday, engaged in a fresh war of words over the ownership of the $43.45 million billion cash uncovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), at the Osborne Towers in Lagos.
While the governors accused the Federal Government of a deliberate attempt to shield the minister over his purported link to the money, the latter alleged a calculated attempt to tarnish his image by spreading falsehood.
Similarly, an All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart in Rivers, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, joined the fray, accusing Wike of turning a serious matter into a circus show.
But, Fayose and Wike raised a number of posers on the way the Federal Government was handling the issue, which has pitched two major government agencies: National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the EFCC against each other.
Fayose, specifically alleged that the Federal Government and the EFCC were conspiring to sweep the matter under the carpet.
He alleged in a statement, that the federal authority was plotting “to protect the original owner of both the money and the apartment where it was found,” saying that this “has further shown that the anti-corruption fight is political, selective and therefore a ruse.”
In the statement he personaly signed and made available to newsmen, the Fayose said Nigerians should ask questions, noting that the claim that the money belonged to the NIA was also a plot to protect the owners of the the cash and the apartment.
He said questions as “who is the owner of the apartment in which the money was found? Does the apartment also belong to the NIA. If the apartment belongs to the NIA, when was it bought and from whom?” should be asked.
The governor added: “If the apartment does not belong to the NIA, from whom and when was it rented? How could a whistle-blower be aware of movement of money into one out of many apartments in a building without knowing the owner of the apartment?”
He said: “if truly the NIA was carrying out a “covert operation” as claimed, was President Muhammadu Buhari not briefed of the so-called “covert operation when he took over power?
“This, to my mind is one cover-up too many and this federal government seeming plot to protect the original owner of both the money and the apartment where it was found has further shown that the anti-corruption fight is political, selective and, therefore, a ruse.
“Nigerians should recall that I have consistently maintained that the APC-led federal government was not fighting any corruption. Rather, the government is using the anti-corruption fight as a major political tool to cripple opposition and turn the country to a one party state.
“Therefore, for once, the federal government should operate with the mind-set that Nigerians are no fools. They are capable of asking questions and they are already doing that.”
He described the cash recovery as “a script,” saying “as for me, the script being acted on this discovered cash is a cover-up that will mar the EFCC and the federal government. It is a movie well scripted for some comedians but acted so badly.
“It is case of a dog that has been eating other people’s children to the admiration of its owner suddenly attacking the beloved son of the owner’s friend and they are now trying to cover-up the dog owner.
“It is a major test of the integrity of the APC federal government’s so-called anti-corruption fight, and the earlier the proponents of the cover-up plot come back to their normal senses and tell Nigerians who owns the apartment in which the money was found, the better for them.”
On his part, Wike described as unfortunate the alleged desperation of the Federal Government to cover corruption simply because its principal sponsor was involved.
Briefing Rivers Christian leaders on the development at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Saturday, he stated that the state government was not interested in the prosecution of his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, but simply seeking the return of funds belonging to the state.
Wike said that the promotion of insults and needless propaganda will not detract the Rivers State government from recovering her stolen resources, declaring that the state is ready for a lengthy battle with the federal government over the Ikoyi billions.
“The Federal Government wants us to believe that a security agency will keep a whopping N16 billion in a private residence in cash. They think that Nigerians don’t have brains.
“When millions of dollars were found in Kaduna, the EFCC was quick to announce the owner of that money. Now they don’t know the whistle blower in the case of the Ikoyi billions and they are afraid to disclose the owner of the money.
“I am not interested in the prosecution of our son, the former governor, Rotimi Amaechi. We are just interested in the return of Rivers money.”
He warned: “If the federal government does not leave Rivers State alone, it will never be well with them.”
The governor said that unless the Federal Government returned the from Rivers State, the APC administration would not know peace.
Wike informed that legal team had been briefed and was ready to commence action.
“They are covering corruption because a key player of the administration is involved. This is not a rumour. They know that the money belongs to Amaechi,” he said.
Governor Amaechi slams Wike
Amaechi dismissed the claims by Wike that the $43 million found in the luxury apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos belonged to him (Amaechi).
In a statement by his Media Office, on Saturday, the immediate past governor of Rivers described the claim as malicious, frivolous and another failed attempt by Wike to divert attention from the mess he had created in Rivers State.
According to the statement: “Wike has stolen Rivers State dry. Wike and his gang have frittered billions and billions of Naira of Rivers people money away. Rivers State is perpetually in crisis, the state in a mess as Wike has made a total mess of governance in the State. That child who sits there as governor is confused, he doesn’t know what to do. Wike’s only solution is to attack Amaechi.
“Since he became governor, Wike sleeps and wakes up everyday, with a sole, one-point agenda to attack and denigrate Rotimi Amaechi, no matter how ridiculous and silly he sounds. Everyday in Rivers State, there is one frivolous, false story of what Amaechi did or didn’t do.
“Same pattern, the same blatant lies with no proof, same old concocted stories of corruption allegations against Amaechi told with different flavours. At this rate, if Wike is unable to perform his spousal duties, he will blame it on Amaechi. Yes, that’s how despicably low he can go in his consuming fixation to throw mud at Amaechi.
“This latest outburst by Wike is typical of him. We are aware that Wike first tried to float the fake news of Amaechi’s ownership of the recovered $43 million and the Ikoyi house in the social media using his minions and lackeys, spending huge sums of Rivers money on the failed project. His minions and lackeys were calling journalists, bloggers and media organisations to run the fake story with promises of almost irresistible mouth-watering compensation for using the fake story.
“When that failed and the story didn’t gain traction that was when Wike decided to hurriedly hold the press conference Friday night, to rant and spew his outright lies, yet again without providing any proof of Amaechi’s ownership of both the property and the money.
“For clarity and emphasis, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is not the owner of the $43 million and the Ikoyi apartment in which the money was recovered from. Amaechi has no business, link or connection to the money or property. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi does not know who owns the money or Ikoyi apartment.”
“Wike’s malicious allegation of corruption against Amaechi in the sale of the Gas Turbines is not new. This false claim has been punctured repeatedly with facts and evidence of the transfer payments for the power plants into Rivers State government accounts by Sahara Energy.
The records of how the funds were spent and what it was spent on are in the records of the state government. Amaechi has absolutely no business or any interest whatsoever in Sahara Energy. The company was already a thriving business concern before Amaechi’s emergence as governor of Rivers State in 2007…
“Yet again, we challenge Wike to charge Amaechi to court if he has any shred of evidence that the money belongs to Rivers State and was kept in the Ikoyi apartment by Amaechi. But like his numerous frivolous accusations in the past, we know he won’t go to court.”