2015: ‘Abuja opponents scheme to discredit Amaechi’

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

Schemes to discredit the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, Governor Chibuke Amaechi of Rivers State and reduce him to political irrelevance are in the works, it was learnt, yesterday.

Central to the scheme is a minister from the South-South, it was learnt, yesterday.

At the heart of the scheme, Vanguard learnt yesterday, is a plan to put the reputation of the governor in bad light through the circulation of reports of corruption and malfeasances in his administration in the newspapers and internet blog sites.

Gov Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State

The aim of the publications, it was learnt, is to attract anti-corruption agencies to Rivers State for the purpose of putting the administration in bad light.

The effort against Amaechi is coming in the wake of the recent faceoff between Amaechi and some governors, on the one side, and the presidency and the national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on the other, over varying issues pertaining to official stances raised by the NGF.

Amaechi has also been repeatedly accused of working with opponents of President Goodluck Jonathan to derail the alleged plans by the president to seek re-election in 2015.

As a source said, yesterday, “The plot will first involve the circulation in the social media and several dubious websites and blogs, of phantom documents of alleged financial infractions and ‘monumental’ corruption in Rivers State by Rivers State Government officials and Governor Amaechi.”