The Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has said that the letter written by former Governor of the State, Chibuike 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 other related matters, which indicted him, (Amaechi), lacks merit and logic.
The State Chairman of the PDP, Felix Obuah in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, said that Amaechi’s letter is an attempt to ignore the White Paper report, undermine the crusade against corruption and expose President 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”, according to the statement.
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.
The party boss said that Amaechi has no defense to allegations of fraud against him as contained in the Government White Paper.
Obuah 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 counselled 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.
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