Wike's only agenda is to attack me - Minister reacts to $150m theft allegation against him

Wike had on Sunday accused the minister of using the money to fund the campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 general elections.

In a statement issued by Amaechi's spokesman, David Iyiofor, he said Wike does not have any evidence to back his claims.

The statement said: “Sadly, on Sunday, February 7, 2016, Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers state in furtherance of his administration’s one-point agenda, yet again, continued his grossly irresponsible, repugnant and contemptuous, albeit, feckless mission of denigrating and disparaging the person and office of the immediate past governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who is now the minister of transportation,” read a statement issued on Amaechi by David Iyiofor, his spokesman.

“The ‘story-story’ this time is about another phantom $150,000,000(One Hundred and Fifty Million Dollars) that Amaechi purportedly stole from Rivers state government coffers and siphoned to his party, the All Progressives Congress(APC) within eighteen days, from December 1 to 18 of 2014. “Sadly again, Wike picked a church, a sacred temple of God to tell his new imaginary tale, another bogus, fallacious concoction.

“This new scurrilous fabrication by Governor Wike is in sync with the one-point agenda of the Wike administration, which is to throw as much mud as possible at former governor Amaechi, hoping that some may at least stick. “All sorts of spurious stories about alleged corruption and stealing of state funds against the Amaechi administration have been bandied in the media with no attempt to substantiate or prove these distorted false claims that completely makes nonsense of common sense.

“Even, when Amaechi challenged the Wike administration and its agents to use any constitutionally available legal process or procedure to prove their jaundice, deceitful allegations against him and his administration, they have rather elected to do their own corruption probe, trial and conviction in the media; and now, even inside our solemn places of worship (churches). How callous! Why would a government be so determined to desecrate and destroy every institution, all in the name of playing politics?

“It continues to baffle us, like most right-thinking Nigerians that Governor Wike will stand in a church- a solemn place of worship- and carelessly, brusquely tell such a profound lie. He condescendingly descended to falsely and indecorously shout corruption against Amaechi, without providing a single shred of evidence to back his claims. How pathetic!”

READ: Amaechi reveals why he’s trying to stop Wike’s probe

The minister dared Wike to provide evidence that proves he (Amaechi) indeed spent $150 million on APC.

“Pray, Governor Wike, who collected the $150million on behalf of APC? From which state government account(s) was the $150million taken from? How was the $150million taken and given to APC? Was it by wired transfer from Rivers State government account(s) to APC account(s)? So many questions, if Wike had attempted to answer, would have made nonsense of his supercilious allegations,” the statement read.

“Rivers people and Nigerians are indeed sick and tired of this old worn-out trick of Governor Wike to hoodwink and distract Rivers people from the real issues.

“Making a new spurious allegation of corruption against Amaechi every day, will not make Rivers people forget that most of the beautiful, working institutions built by the Amaechi administration are now being allowed to rot away in spite of the billions of naira that had accrued to the state and the billions of naira borrowed by Wike.

The statement added that the people of the state are worried over Wike's competence to lead the state to a better height, as weeds and grasses have taken over the beautiful schools built by Amaechi.