Rivers govt to gazette probe report on Amaechi

The Rivers State government said at the weekend that report of the probe panel set to probe sale of state assets and other financial transactions during the administration of former governor Chibuike Amaechi would be made public and gazetted.

Special Adviser to Governor Nyesom Wike on Media and Publicity, Sir Opunabo Inko-Tariah, in an interview with Daily Trust in Port Harcourt said the panel was not set up to witch hunt anybody but to look into transactions involving the state’s assets.

Inko-Tariah, who was reacting to comments credited to former governor Amaechi that he would not appear before the panel, said whether the former governor appeared or not, the final report of the panel would be published and gazetted. Amaechi had during his meeting with APC supporters in Port Harcourt, said the probe panel was illegal and that he would not to appear before it.

“It is very laughable that Amaechi said the probe panel is unconstitutional. This is a man that went to court to question the legality of the probe panel and the court presided over by Justice Amadi said the panel is legitimate and that the governor has the right to set up the panel. They first came up with an allegation that the chairman of the panel harbours animosity against the former governor; when they could not prove that, he turned around to say that the panel is illegitimate. Amaechi should stop beating about the bush. He should appear and tell the panel what he knows about the allegations levelled against him. That is the only way he can prove his innocence; it is not enough to make comments on the pages of newspapers. The panel is not sitting on the pages of newspapers,” he said.