Amaechi Is Corrupt, Don’t Appoint Him Minister - Wike Tells Buhari

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has asked President Muhammad Buhari not to appoint Rotimi Amaechi as minister if he wants his fight against corruption to be looked upon with credibility.

President Buhari revealed last week in an article published in the Washington Post that he would announce members of his cabinet in September.

Mr. Amaechi was among the top government dignitaries that accompanied Mr. Buhari to last week’s state visit to the United States.

In a statement on Sunday signed by Mr. Wike’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, the governor, who described Mr. Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign as “selective” and “drawing a cocktail of reaction”, said it would be “dismissed as laughable” if Mr. Amaechi makes the ministerial list.

Mr. Wike claimed Mr Amaechi was the most corrupt government official and asked the president to probe the ex-governor to lend credibility to his fight against corruption.

“If Buhari is sincere in his fight against corruption, let him probe the Amaechi’s government and he will discover that there cannot be a government official that is more corrupt than Amaechi,” he said.

He blamed Mr. Amaechi for Rivers State’s fiscal woes saying his policies were reckless and dictatorial.

“From the genesis to revelation of his government, Amaechi’s fiscal recklessness and dictatorial policies and approaches are responsible for the financial woes of the state that should ordinarily be buoyant.

“A man like Amaechi must not be allowed to flaunt the fruits of his crime with impunity. He has to account for the monthly allocations he received in 8 years and the IGRs for the same period. He spirited so much out of the system with little or nothing to show for it.

“The appointment of Amaechi by Buhari will be an endorsement of corruption by Buhari,” he said. The governor said if Mr. Amaechi was blameless, he wouldn’t be seeking protection from investigation.