27th October, 2014
The Presidency on Sunday dispelled allegations by Governor Rotimi Ameachi of Rivers against the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government, noting that, the governor would answer for his actions someday.
The reaction from the Presidency was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, in Abuja.
The statement dismissed Amaechi’s allegations as “totally false and baseless vituperations”.
It stated that Amaechi had alleged “at a university graduation ceremony” in Port Harcourt that Mrs Jonathan was angry with him because of his refusal to “corruptly share” the state’s funds with her.
According to the statement, the governor also accused Jonathan of unjustly taking an oil well belonging to Rivers to his home state, Bayelsa, among other allegations.
It said that it was obvious from the “completely unfounded and off-the-mark allegations” that the governor had lost all sense of propriety, decorum and responsible political behaviour.
“Amaechi took his obnoxious willingness to denigrate the highest office in the land to a new level of irresponsible and rascally behaviour yesterday in Port Harcourt.
“This he did with his totally false and baseless vituperations against President Jonathan, the First Lady and the Federal Government in a reckless bid to advance his selfish political interests.
“It appears from the governor’s completely unfounded and off-the-mark allegations that he had totally lost all sense of propriety, decorum and responsible political behavior.
“He has resorted to unacceptable demagoguery, libel, blackmail and incitement of public disorder,” it said.
“Unless his unbridled ambition and desire for self-promotion have completely befuddled his mental faculties and caused him to totally lose touch with reality, Amaechi must know that his claims and allegations are untrue.
“We can only assume therefore that he is deliberately spewing malicious falsehood in a desperate effort to incite the people of Rivers and Nigeria against his assumed political foes.
“We warn him that there are legal, constitutional and moral limits to political rascality beyond which he will not be allowed to go without repercussions,” the statement stressed.
The presidency reminded the governor that a day of reckoning would come when he would answer for his actions and false allegations, notwithstanding the immunity he currently enjoyed.
“He should also know that Nigerians are aware of the truth and will never be fooled or swayed by his arrant opportunism and anti-Jonathan ranting.
“Nigerians know that while Amaechi falsely accuses others of corruption, he cannot show or explain to the people of Rivers what he has done with the billions of naira accrued to the state under his tenure.
“They also know that while Amaechi continues to falsely accuse the Jonathan administration of having done nothing for Rivers, he has recklessly squandered huge state resources on dubious, vain-glorious projects or self aggrandisement.
“Nigerians will know, too, that while he falsely alleges that Rivers and other states have not received funds due to them from the federation account, the only outstanding allocation was for September which was released to all states well over a week ago,” it said.
The presidency cautioned Amaechi to stop trying to make Jonathan the scapegoat for his woeful performance in Rivers state and look to his own very apparent failings and in competencies.
“He should also stop blackmailing the First Lady who has demanded nothing from him other than good governance, justice, equity, fairness, real development and progress in Rivers State,” it added.