Discovery By Amaechi’s Assemblymen Vindicates Criticisms Over Loot Of Rivers Treasury— Rivers PDP Chairman
The Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has described the invitation of about nine serving State Commissioners in the outgoing Governor Amaechi’s All Progressives Congress, APC administration to answer questions bordering on corruption, financial recklessness and related issues as commendable and action long expected.
Rivers PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah says even though he has reservation on the sincerity and genuine intention of the Assemblymen, who have over the years not pretended being Amaechi’s stooges, the seeming u-turn by the pro-Amaechi lawmakers is an indication of their belated realization of the truth which the Party has always propagated regarding the loot of the State’s treasuries by the outgoing Governor Amaechi and his aides.
The Party Chairman, Bro Obuah in a press statement signed by his Special Adviser, Media, Jerry Needam, feels vindicated by this action of the pro-Amaechi lawmakers and hopes that this will not be aborted on the altar of the usual irresistible financial inducement by the outgoing Governor, noting that if that happens, the integrity of the supposedly honourable members will be left in the mud.
The PDP observes that this unchecked and unabated financial recklessness by outgoing Governor Amaechi and his aides in the State has brought untold hardship and anguish on the people and state of infrastructural development in Rivers State. The prevailing collapse in the Civil Service, including the avoidable non-payment of several months salaries to workers and pensioners in the State is an upshot of this ugly and fraudulent action by the outgoing administration under Governor Amaechi.
What this development proofs to us is that our cries against the monumental fraud in the present administration in the State have been justified, even though it comes pretty late but no less a welcomed development, and should produce anticipated result; the recovery of the loots and forestall further financial recklessness by Amaechi and officials of the APC led government in the State.
The Party Chairman, Obuah also refuses to believe that the lawmakers are playing to the gallery and using such 11th hour oversight actions to scoop their portion of the largesse and booty from the Executive, including the Commissioners and Local Government Chairmen in the 23 LGAs, who we are aware have been earmarked N300m each as their take home settlement having lost in the elections and billed to hand over to the PDP government on May 29, 2015.
The PDP welcomes more of such democratic actions if carried out in the interest of Rivers people and hopes to cooperate with any efforts aimed at recovering stolen funds and restoring the battered image of our dear State. Our eyes are open in anticipation of positive results from the exercise.
The PDP Chairman also challenges the lawmakers to further convince the public of their genuine intention of ensuring sanity in the system by extending similar invitation to the outgoing Governor to explain the massive looting of State resources, non-payment of civil servants salaries, pensioners allowances, abandoned road projects and non release of overheads to State ministries for the past three years as well as the collapse of all democratic structures and institutions in the State.
It will also be commendable if the office of the First Lady (Judith Amaechi) is invited to give explanations to the series of financial demands and claims of the phony projects and so-called empowerments by her NGO, ESI.
Signed:
Jerry Needam
Special Adviser, Media to
State PDP Chairman, Bro. Felix Obuah
Tuesday May 12, 2015