Amaechi challenges Wike’s Commission to meet him in court



Members of the Rivers State Executive Council
under former Governor, Rotimi Amaechi’s
administration has reacted to the indictment of
former Governor by the Justice George Omerji led
Commission of Inquiry.
Addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt, former
Commissioner for Information and
Communication, Ibim Seminitari said
members of the executive council decided not
to appear before the panel when it became
clear that its mission was to witch hunt.
Seminitari described the statement credited to
the panel over an alleged missing fifty-three
billion naira as unfortunate, stressing that the
Amaechi led administration had set aside the
reserve funds for the rainy day and had need
to fall back to it in order to pay workers’
salaries and fund projects after being
approved by the State House of Assembly.
The former Commissioner claimed that details
of income and expenditure from all the
ministries during the administration of Rotimi
Amaechi were put in the public domain and
was also made known to the current
administration and the Justice George Omeriji
led panel.
Ibim Seminitari wondered why the
commission would indict former Governor
Amaechi when he was never invited to appear
before the panel.
She also said that witnesses who appeared
before the panel were coerced, directed,
ordered and told in clear terms, sometimes
with written notes from the commission staff,
what not to say and what to say.
“From the Chairman, to the way the panel
conducted its ‘probe’ activities, it was obvious
even to the blind that the Wike panel was on
a mission to indict Amaechi.
“Video from the public hearing of the panel
that has gone viral on the internet clearly
shows the world the crude inquisition Wike
conducted against Amaechi.
“At every point during the public hearing,
Justice Omereji clearly showed his bias and
his determination to indict Amaechi and
officials of his administration. Most times, the
panel chairman simply concluded that they
are corrupt, even before all the facts are
made known to the panel, even before all
sides have been heard.
“On one occasion, Omereji said he wished the
panel had the powers of a court so he could
lock up, perhaps for life, these so called
corrupt officials.
“The chairman of the panel prevented
counsels to those invited, from asking relevant
questions that are likely to deviate and
detract from their pre-determined agenda and
conclusion.
“Lawyers and witnesses invited by the panel
were constantly intimidated, harassed and
bullied. Witnesses were constantly bullied to
toe the line of the commission pre-determined
agenda and conclusion.
“The panel chairman was ordering witnesses
not to answer questions that would expose
the commission’s bias to indict Amaechi.”
Also speaking, the former Rivers State
Commissioner for Agriculture, EMMA CHINDA
claimed he disbursed the Agricultural loan to
the grass-roots.
DAILY POST reports that all the
commissioners under the Rotimi Amaechi
administration were present at the meeting in
Port Harcourt.