There’s a ‘well-oiled’ plot to tarnish my ‘character, integrity and high morals’- Amaechi

As Nigerians continue to expect President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list, the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has cried out that there is a plot to destroy his records and meritorious public service through sponsored campaign of calumny.

The minister, who made this claim in a statement released by his media office on Thursday, failed to name those behind the alleged plot.

The statement however claimed that the plotters want to use activities of the current Acting Board of the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to indict Amaechi.

Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, is among ministers in Buhari’s first term that may likely get reappointed in his second term.

The statement by the former minister, who is a two-time Director-General of the President Buhari Campaign Organisation, read:

“We have uncovered a well-oiled plot to orchestrate a heavily funded smear campaign of calumny and lies against Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the immediate past minister of Transportation, immediate past governor of Rivers State and two-time Director-General of the President Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaign.

“As we write this, we are aware that attempts are been made to peddle all sorts of fictitious, misleading and outrightly concocted stories, distorted and manipulated documents that would smudge the image and cast aspersions on the character, integrity and high morals of Amaechi, an astute and accomplished public servant.

“The deceitful plot and plan of the planners and executors of this ominously funded campaign is to tarnish the towering status; and do as much damage as possible to the character and reputation of Amaechi in the hearts, minds and eyes of members of the public, using both traditional and online (social) media.

“One aspect of the reprehensible conspiracy is to unscrupulously drag the name of Amaechi and a member of his immediate family into the internal affairs and operations of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in a manner and way that is designed and intended to bring disrepute and opprobrium to his character and reputation. Besides this, there are other aspects and dimensions to the plot to rubbish Amaechi’s image.

“In respect to the NDDC, the defamation campaigners intend to create, make and push to the public space all sorts of speculative and baseless allegations against Amaechi; from the ridiculous to the puerile and completely bizarre stories backed with distorted, phoney and fake documents. For clarity, we state emphatically, that Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is not involved in anyway, in the management and operations of the NDDC.

READ ALSO: Wike incurs wrath of Islamic group for declaring Rivers a Christian state

“We wish to alert members of the public of the hawking presence and devious plots of this ‘operation destroy’ Amaechi campaigners.

“Specifically, we want to notify and appeal to both traditional media and online (social) media practitioners to be wary of the insidious shenanigans of these purveyors and hawkers of fake news that is solely intended to deceive the public and destroy the sterling record of many years of meritorious public service by Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.”

Recall that an APC chieftain in Rivers and Amaechi’s loyalist, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, had recently accused the state governor, Nyesom Wike, and a former senator in Rivers State, Magnus Abe, of doing everything possible, including ‘acts of witchcraft’ to ensure President Buhari does not reappoint Amaechi as a minister.

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