Court gives Wike go ahead to probe Amaechi

Justice Simeon Amadi of the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has granted the River State government a go ahead to probe the financial activities of the immediate past administration in the state led by Rotimi Amaechi.
The judge on Thursday dismissed the suit filed by Amaechi, challenging the setting up of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe his administration.
Governor Nyesom Wike, had constituted a judicial commission of inquiry led by Justice George Omereji to probe the sale of assets belonging to the state by the Amaechi administration.
But Amaechi had gone to court to challenge the move.
However, Justice Simeon Amadi, who delivered judgment in the suit, affirmed that the judicial commission of inquiry was not established to investigate the personal activities of the former governor.
Justice Amadi added that the commission was established to investigate the previous actions of government as they affected the people of the state.
According to him, Wike, by the provisions of the law, is empowered to establish the judicial commission of inquiry to investigate previous actions of government.
Justice Amadi specifically said that there was no law preventing a state government from finding out how the state’s resources were spent.
On the assertion by Amaechi that the 30 days set aside for the sitting of the judicial commission of inquiry will deny him fair hearing, Justice Amadi maintained that the number of days set aside for the commission did not breach his (Amaechi) right to fair hearing.
According to him, since Amaechi has yet to file a memorandum before the commission and has not appeared before it, the former governor cannot complain of not being given a fair hearing.

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The court stated that the 30 days set aside for the commission of inquiry were not sacrosanct and could be extended.
The court described Amaechi’s suit as being speculative because the former governor failed to prove the injuries he had suffered as a result of the establishment of the commission of inquiry.
Amadi added that the terms of reference of the commission did not accuse the former governor of crime – contrary to the former governor’s claim.
The Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Emmanuel Aguma, explained that with the court ruling, the commission of inquiry could begin its sitting and promised that it would be fair to all parties.
But Amaechi’s counsel, Mrs. Winifred Enyinnaya, said the former governor would appeal against the judgment.
In a related development, Amaechi has said that said he left a balance of between eight to ten billion naira cash for his successor, Governor Nyesom Wike.
In a statement from his from his media office yesterday, the former governor denied that he handed over an empty treasury to his successor.
The statement by the former Governor’s media office, yesterday, revealed that a total of N7.5 billion cash was left behind as balances in the State Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, account with Skye Bank, FAAC account with Zenith Bank, balances with Access Bank and funds in the State reserve fund account in First Bank.
“This is besides other balances in the state Government House account with Zenith Bank and other government MDA accounts, like the Bureau for Public Procurement, BPP. By the time you pull all these together, we are looking at readily available cash in the region of eight to ten billion naira left for the Wike administration.”
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“It’s also pertinent to point out here that former governor Amaechi also left economic assets worth tens of billions of naira for the state. Just like cash, the assets store value. These assets that are scattered in diverse sectors of the economy were developed or built or procured with revenue that accrued to the state during Amaechi’s tenure. The assets belong to Rivers State, not Amaechi. Some of these assets are presently yielding revenue to the state coffers, and many can be easily and readily converted to cash, if the State so desires.
“It is therefore disingenuous and fraudulent for Wike to claim that Amaechi left an empty treasury in his bid to justify the N30 billion loans he collected under 30 days in office. Rather than this puerile and silly distraction of always pointing accusing fingers at Amaechi, Wike should come out to explain to Rivers people what he took the loans for, account for and justify every kobo that has been spent from the loans”, the statement concluded.
But media aide to governor Nyesom Wike, Mr Opunabo Nko-Tariah, described the claim by the former governor as another tissue of lies, stressing that if he left what he claimed how come civil servants, pensioners , footballers, contractors were owed by his government.

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