The Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has reacted to the letter written by ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi, urging the Senate President, Bukola Saraki to disregard the Rivers State Government White Paper on the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry for the investigation of his administration on the sale of valued assets and others.
PDP described the letter as illogical and one that should be disregarded.
State Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah in a statement by his media aide, Jerry Needam, noted that Amaechi’s letter to the Senate President was an attempt to ignore the White Paper report, undermine the crusade against corruption and expose President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption as partisan and targeted at only members of the opposition and perceived enemies.
“The invitation and interrogation of the Senate Minority Leader, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, and one of the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Godswill Akpabio, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, while Mr Rotimi Amaechi, indicted for corruption is freely going about lobbying to become a minister, is a pointer that Buhari’s fight against corruption is targeted at the opposition and perceived enemies”, it said.
The PDP said the monumental fraud discovered by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry and huge revenue lost when Amaechi was governor of Rivers State cannot be ignored.
“Amaechi has no defense to allegations of fraud against him as contained in the Government White Paper. He was invited and he failed to appear before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry.”
The statement drew the attention of the Senate President, Saraki to the combined provisions of Sections 66, (1) (h) and 147 (5) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which unambiguously disqualifies Mr Rotimi Amaechi from being a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“If in doubt, the PDP counsels Mr Amaechi to seek interpretation of the relevant sections of the constitution from his lawyers.
“The combined effect of sections 66 (1) (h) and 147 (5) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended and read together disqualifies Rotimi Amaechi from becoming a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Therefore, Amaechi’s letter to the Senate President should be disregarded. It lacks merit and contradicted the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended.
“The letter to the Senate President further makes mockery of Amaechi and amounts to desperation and glorification of corruption.”
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