Nigeria: Storm In Rivers Over N2.5bn Withdrawals

RIVERS State Government in Nigeria has been hit by a potentially dangerous financial scandal.The Rivers Success Movement (RSM), a political pressure group is alleging that the newly inaugurated Celestine Omehia administration made a fraudulent withdrawal of N2.5billion from thee state government account to pursue court cases.

Omehia , the state governor, is locked in several litigations with the former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rotimi Amaechi, over the rightful governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 14 poll.

Already, the allegation has drawn the ire of the Action Congress (AC) which is at the tribunal to contest the PDP victory at the polls. On the allegation, the AC governorship candidate Prince Tonye Princewill, said, ''it is painful that a couple of projects and other development needs are begging for attention; and how these withdrawals were made are public knowledge''.

Continuing, he said ''the people of Rivers have for over one week been exposed to a show of shame in total disregard for decency and the pitiable state of our people placed on us by the visionless eight years of Odili’s administration in a show of affluence and display of our hard-earned wealth in hosting and entertaining all segments of people across the nation. Some of these guests include Judges of both the Supreme and Appeal Court of the federation principally the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umaru Abdullahi who sat behind the past Governor Odili and his wife. This is the same man who gave the questionable judgment on the casebetween the rightful PDP candidate for the 2007 gubernatorial election- Amaechi and Omehia that is almost ridiculing all that the judiciary may have achieved through the cases instituted by the former Vice President of the federation- Atilku Abubabakar''.

Princewill who spoke through his media consultant, Eze Eze, added, ''the presence of the president of the Appeal Court and other judges of our appellate court knowing very well that most of the court cases in which Peter Odili and his cohorts have interest are before them –is it therefore ethical for such respectable judges because of common porridge sold off their integrity to attend such ignominious ceremonies that were organized in Rivers State recently. Will their attendance not be seen as a means to induce and influenced them to be ?

AC says they will like to reiterate that they are convinced with the steps and facts available to them and other opposition parties in the state that no amount of influence on the judges will sway justice to the side of people already condemned by the people of Rivers and the international community.

''We are a;so aware of other emergency withdrawals that characterized the last bazaar carried out by the Odili administration just for the purpose of self-aggrandizement, self-posturing and promotion of personal wealth and ego. But we will like to assure our good people of Rivers state that every kobo wastefully spent or misappropriated in any form in the last eight years of mal-administration will be retrieved when judgment is delivered. The efforts to force a stooge on the people of Rivers in order to continue the policy of looting our common patrimony will be frustrated'', the AC leader said.

ENDS

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