Former Rivers State information Commissioner, Mrs Ibim Semenitari has challenged the Rivers State Government led by Governor Nyesom Wike to produce evidence that N82 million was spent on dinner to host Prof Wole Soyinka.
She wondered how the total amount of N82 million could be spent on the dinner alone, as Rivers State Commissioner of Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tam-George, PDP and their cohort would want the world go to bed with.
Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has responded to claims by the Rivers State government that its former governor, Rotimi Amaechi, spent N82 million to organize a dinner in his honour.
In a statement, Wednesday, Mr. Soyinka said the “unprecedented call” for his probe was a form of corruption fighting back.
“This morning, I saw only the headlines in one or two print media regarding the 80th Birthday dinner to which I was hosted by the former governor of Rivers State, the Honorable Rotimi Amaechi, now Minister of Aviation,” said Mr. Soyinka.
Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has blamed the inability of the state government to pay last month’s salaries to civil servants in the state on the failure of the Federal Government to release money from the federation account to state governments.
Chairman of the party in the state, Mr Felix Obuah, in a statement, yesterday, accused the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government of lacking in vision and sound economic policies to direct the affairs of the country.
A former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, has debunked allegations by the state government that he misappropriated the sum of N82 million to organise a dinner for Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka.
In a statement by the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi Media Office, Wednesday, Mr. Amaechi warned Mr. Wike “and the coterie of court-jesters and attention-seekers” in his administration to desist from peddling falsehood.
The Rivers State Commissioner of Information, Austin Tam-George, has said the state government would investigate the N82million allegedly spent by former governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi, to organise dinner in honour of Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka.
The commissioner said the government would demand refund from Mr. Soyinka if government confirms that the Nobel Laureate received part of the funds.
Rivers State Government has just confirmed the outbreak of Lassa Fever in the state, which has claimed the lives of two persons so far.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Theophilous Odageme who confirmed the outbreak today in a statement enjoined the members of the public not to panic because the state government had taken a proactive measure to contain an outbreak.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has instructed his lawyers to appeal Wednesday’s judgment of the Court of Appeal which upheld the nullification of his election and ordered a fresh governorship election in the tate within 90 days.
In a statement issued by Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Governor on Electronic Media, Governor Wike stated that he disagrees with the judgment, hence his decision to exhaust his constitutional right by challenging the Appeal Court judgment at the Supreme Court.
The Court of Appeal has struck out the appeal of Nyesom Wike seeking a dismissal of the judgment of the Rivers election petition tribunal which sacked him as governor of the state.
The tribunal headed by Justice Suleiman Ambrosa had, in a judgment on October 24 voided Wike’s election and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in the state.
The Court of Appeal has removed another two Senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State.
The two senators are Senator Osinachukwu Ideozu, representing Rivers South-West Senatorial District and Senator Olaka Johnson Nwogu representing Rivers South-East.
Their elections were nullified on account of its failure to comply substantially with the provisions of the Electoral Act and other guidelines.
The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the immediate resignation and prosecution of Nyesom Wike as Governor of Rivers State.
It made the demand in a statement issued to mark the Black Monday organised by a coalition led by the party’s governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside, to honour over 100 party members in the state killed in the course of the campaigns and the 2015 elections held on 28 March 28 and 11 April.
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