Don’t smear Amaechi’s name, kinsmen warn PDP, NASS

Kinsmen of the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Saturday warned the Peoples Democratic Party and the National Assembly not to damage the integrity of the minister over the alleged non-inclusion of the Lagos-Calabar Railway project in the 2016 Budget.

The relatives of the former governor of Rivers State, who came together under the aegis of Concerned All Progressives Congress Members, explained that the saga was a blackmail to smear Amaechi’s image.
The APC members from Ikwere Local Government Area of the state also drummed support for the minister, stating that Amaechi has always maintained a high sense of responsibility in public offices.

Speaking with journalists, the spokesman of the group, Mr. Kerian Wobodo, said the target of the National Assembly and the PDP was to paint the minister in bad light before the world.

Wobodo noted that there was no way the minister would try to mislead the public, adding that his legacies while he was governor placed him (Amaechi) in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He warned that the group would not take it lightly with anybody or group of persons who would want to drag the name of the minister in the mud.

He added, “The attention of the forum has been drawn to a press statement titled: ‘Amaechi/Senate budget controversy’ by the National Chairman of PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff, and others issued by Governor Nyesom Wike and Felix Obuah, the Rivers State PDP Chairman.

“We are deeply disappointed with their utterances. It is ill-conceived and sabotage to Rivers People and the Niger Delta. It is an onslaught on the collective will, aspiration and interest of the region,” he added.

Reacting, the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, maintained that rather than casting aspersions on the state governor and the party, the group should tell Amaechi to apologise to the Senate or resign honourably.

Nwanosike pointed out that since the PDP was not involved in the budget controversy, the group had no moral base to be angry with Wike and the party.

He stated, “The group, Concerned APC Members should not direct their misplaced anger at us (PDP) and the governor (Wike). Are we the people that smuggled things into the budget?

Nwanosike added that Amaechi came to Rivers State before the rerun election to tell the people about the Lagos-Calabar rail project when the project was not in the budget.

“If the group knows what it is doing, it should rather tell Amaechi to either apologise to the Senate or resign as a minister,” he said.