A group, the Integrity Friends for truth and peace Initiative a.k.a The Integrity Group, an anti-corruption watchdog, has recanted on its earlier position in a petition it filed with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in 2015 wherein it indicted the former Rivers state governor and current Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of corruption allegations saying, the current governor of the state, Nyesom Wike provided it with forged documents to indict Amaechi.

According to it’s Executive Director, Mr. Livingstone Wechie, the group said two years after asking the Wike-led government to set up a committee of enquiry which later submitted its findings which, according to the group, were equally fabricated by Wike’s government, the Rivers state government has still not commenced with prosecutorial actions, a development it said was part of the ploy to cover up its alleged lies.

The letter dated July 29, 2015 titled: “CORRUPTION, CRIMINAL BREACH OF TRUST, UNLAWFUL ENRICHMENT, AND CONVERSION OF OVER 70 BILLION NAIRA STATE RESOURCES BY FORMER GOVERNOR ROTIMI AMAECHI AND OTHER FUNCTIONARIES.”

Wike and Amaechi

The group also alleged that it had falsely accused Amaechi of converting Rivers state monies/proceeds from  what it said was a purported sales of State Assets including Power Plants, a certain Karibi Whyte Hospital and diversion of some monies from the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service etc.

It said same petition was addressed to the Senate President which was laid on the floor on 8 August, 2015, and that “I in my capacity as the Executive Director of the Integrity Group, appeared upon invitation before the Senate Committee on Public Petitions, Ethics and Privileges on October 12, 2015,”said Mr. Wechie.

The group said, “It is important to note that although all matters touching on the allegations leveled against Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi were part of our good governance and transparency projects done in good faith in line with our principles, unfortunately, the Nyesom Wike-led Rivers State government cashed into it and mischievously furnished us with ALL POLITICALLY FABRICATED AND FORGED DOCUMENTS which we sincerely and honestly worked with in good faith wrongly believing same to be genuine.”

It said, “may we state that our organization in all honesty relying on those documents unknown to have been forged and fabricated by the Wike-led Rivers State government, subsequently advised the Rivers State government to set up a Panel of Inquiry to investigate these allegations among others accordingly as part of our quest to get justice for the good people of Rivers State.”

The group maintained that “The Panel did its work in fairness to the Chairman, Hon. Justice George Omereji and the members and submitted their report to the governor unknown to the world that it was all politics and documents tendered were fabricated and forged out of sheer desperation to indict Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and paint him black at all costs for selfish reasons.

“This is one reason among others that the Wike-led River State government, having mischievously achieved their aim of diminishing Amaechi, are still unable, two years after, to commence prosecutorial actions as of right against Rotimi Amaechi knowing that the documents will be challenged having been forged.
“For the records and fairly so, as it concerns fiscal policy, the Rotimi Amaechi administration, during its eight years in power, published its appropriation laws (budgets) yet days after the Wike government came on board, the state budget which the Amaechi government left behind was pulled down from the state website and since then, the state budgets- a Law, have remained the classified document privy to only the Governor.

“Our organization as a mark of the highest responsibility owes the world a duty of honesty and trust; not being a political platform but strictly an anti-corruption watchdog to question and engage any government without fear in keeping with probity in governance. May we state that just as we questioned the Amaechi government on major fiscal matters during the life of his administration through our various platforms, we shall also not spare the Wike administration which has shown gross abuse of powers much more than the Rotimi Amaechi administration at an alarming degree.”

“Little wonder why nobody appears to be asking questions or engaging the Wike-led government on technical matters in the handling of public funds.

“We challenge the Wike-led government to immediately publish all budgets of Rivers State for the past two years plus, publish all procurement plans thereto, publish evidence of all competitive biddings and tenders on all projects and contracts executed so far under this administration including his security votes, publish evidence of every statutory allocation to the three arms of government in Rivers State and independent management of projects by these arms in line with relevant laws in force in the State to show that it is not a dishonest government.

The group however called on the general public to disregard its earlier documents indicting Amaechi saying they were given in error.
“Finally, we call on the general public and all relevant institutions to disregard all documents tendered by our organization indicting the Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi including particularly the so-called Omereji Report and the subsequent white paper by the Rivers State government as all documents tendered were all politically fabricated and forged by the Nyesom Wike government of Rivers state to achieve his unrighteous end.”