I’m not witch-hunting Amaechi – Gov. Wike
Rotimii Amechi and Go. Nyesom Wike[/caption]
The Govenor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike has debunked claims his administration is witch hunting his predecessor Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, so as to deprive him of a ministerial appointment by President Buhari.
The Governor said he is more concerned about the way and manner Rivers States fund were administered under the former governor, than his (Amaechi) possible appointment into President Buhari’s cabinet.
He further explained his worry on meeting an empty treasure on his assumption as the Governor of Rivers State.
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He disclosed this through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Opunabo Inko-Taria, in Portharcourt, South south Nigeria, saying it was unreasonable for anyone to assume his complaint about the corruption in the immediate past administration was a witch hunt against Amaechi’s chances of getting into President Buhari’s cabinet.
“So, what is he (Ameachi) going to do to him (Wike) as a minister or Federal Government appointee? Wike has not told anybody that he does not want President Buhari to appoint Amaechi as a minister. He has never said it; these are just insinuations and innuendos.
“If Mr. President, known for his mantra of zero tolerance for corruption; is saying that he is not going to appoint anybody with a stained image as a member of his cabinet and Rivers people are saying that Rotimi Amaechi is not qualified for an appointment, there is no problem with that.
“But the truth is that paint Amaechi black, if he (Buhari) does not want to appoint him (Amaechi), he will not. Paint Amaechi white, if the President is not interested in him, he will not appoint him.
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“The talk about whether Amaechi should be appointed into Buhari’s cabinet is just the feeling from Rivers’ people and not the governor himself. He has never discussed the issue of whether Amaechi should be appointed by Mr. President or not.
“The governor is more interested in how the funds of Rivers State were spent; whether they were judiciously spent or they were just frittered away. That is the interest because it is annoying that when we took over, we met an empty treasury.”
He also expressed his worry that the same culprits responsible for looting the States treasury are now accusing him of taking a N30bn loan within a month.
“They forgot that you are supposed to pay salaries; you are supposed to open the judiciary. The governor gave the judiciary N300m for takeoff and he also had to pay some of the students abroad who were owed allowances. Civil servants, pensioners and footballers, who were owed salaries, were paid.”
