The immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi
Amaechi, says no anti-corruption agency in the country can
probe him.
 The news had reported that Amaechi along with some other
former governors: Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Sullivan Chime
(Enugu); Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); Godswill Akpabio
(Akwa Ibom); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Shehu Shema (Katsina)
and Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State were being probed by the
Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences
Commission.

However, Chief Tony Okocha, a former aide to Amaechi, told
one of our correspondents that the ex-governor was not afraid
of ICPC or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as
long as the probe was not a witch-hunt.

Okocha, however, recalled that the ICPC and the EFCC had not
vacated a court order stopping any of them from investigating
any Rivers Government official and as such could not probe
him.

He stated that Governor Nyesom Wike was a beneficiary of
such order from the court, adding that until the court injunction
was vacated, it would be illegal for the ICPC to probe his boss.

“I have always said that Amaechi is not afraid of the EFCC or
the ICPC as long as such probe is not a witch-hunt. Again, there
is a court order that the EFCC or other agency like it cannot
probe any government official in the state. Wike is a beneficiary
of that court order.

“Until that court order is vacated, the ICPC or the EFCC have
no right to investigate Amaechi. Since what they are going to
investigate is his (Amaechi’s) activities while in government, the
EFCC and the ICPC do not have such right to do so based on
the standing court order.”

The Chief Press Secretary to Fashola, Mr. Hakeem Bello, did
not respond to the intended probe of his boss by the ICPC.

However, Fashola, while speaking at the 16th annual Bishop
Mike Okonkwo Lecture in Lagos, “I will not respond to
allegations of corruption on the pages of newspapers.”
Similarly, Shema, Kwankwaso and Lamido did not respond to
phone calls on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic
Party has challenged the ICPC to explain to Nigerians why it
did not include former Governor Kayode Fayemi among those it
is currently probing.

According to the party, the anti-graft agencies have been given
more than enough petitions and facts to assist them in getting to
the root of the financial misconduct allegedly perpetrated by
Fayemi while in office.