Amaechi Drags PDP, Others To Court, Demands N300bn For Damages
Former Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi[/caption]
Following allegations that he embezzled $757m (N80bn) belonging to the state while in office, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has dragged the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its Chairman, Chief Felix Obuah, and two others to an Abuja High Court.
A statement, issued on Tuesday and personally signed by the former governor, said he sued the state PDP and two others for alleging that he operated a private foreign account where he deposited the said public funds.
Although Amaechi did not name the two other persons he joined in his suit, he however said the allegation had done a lot of harm to his person and reputation and demanded N300bn as damages.
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Amaechi recalled that the state PDP on August 6, and August 21, 2015, alleged that he stole the sum of $757 million or N80 billion of Rivers money and hid them away in an account in his name in Bancorp Bank in Minnesota, United State of America.
He explained that ever since the said invidious and libelous publications by the PDP and Felix Obuah emerged in public domain, he had been “inundated, bombarded and confronted by several persons who expressed lack of respect, loss of faith in him and who no longer regard him as trustworthy and now view him as a common criminal.”
The statement read in part, “The PDP also alleged that Amaechi had embezzled millions of dollars of Rivers State money and stashed the money in other foreign accounts in his name, including a bank in Switzerland. The PDP claimed that the various Amaechi foreign accounts were revealed and blown open by Christine Amanpour of America’s Cable News Network (CNN).
“The PDP went further to claim that Bancorp Bank, Minnesota, had written to President Muhammadu Buhari that part of the funds was to purchase a residence for Amaechi in America and that they (Bancorp Bank) intend to return the stolen funds to Nigeria.
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“Against PDP, Felix Obuah and two others, Amaechi is seeking the sum of N300, 000, 000, 000.00 for general damages done to him and defamation of his character, reputation and person,” the statement said.
Amaechi described the said malicious publications by the PDP, Felix Obuah and two others are untrue, false, motivated by ill-will and without any foundations in truth whatsoever.
