”The PDP says its position is based on the fact that in spite of the obvious cases of looting of public facilities, siphoning of Rivers State funds, fraudulent sales of State-owned establishments and monumental financial frauds committed by Rotimi Amaechi and his administration in Rivers State, and for which a Judicial Commission of Inquiry has been duly set up by the present administration to investigate, the President has continued to shield the former Governor, the latest of which is his inclusion in the Presidential team to the United States to meet with President Obama.
”The PDP believes that if the President was sincere and dispassionate in his efforts to bring to book corrupt leaders in the country, the former Governor (Amaechi) will not be dining and having complimentary handshakes with him at the Presidential villa. If President Buhari was also serious and not had marked certain citizens, particularly members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and those that served former President Goodluck Jonathan, for his selective punitive actions, Rotimi Amaechi will not be flying abroad with him, but would be made to answer corruption charges against him and the administration he superintended for the period under review.
”The Party feels strongly disappointed and worried that Mr. President is only being skewed in his widely publicized purported anti corruption drive, as he has failed to match his words with action by not demonstrably condemn and dissociated himself from the visibly emboldened fraudsters and corrupt leaders, who are chieftains of his All Progressives Congress, APC, flocking around him.
”In view of this, we believe the President and the APC government are only on a witch-hunt mission against members of the PDP, which to us is unacceptable, unjustifiable and capable of causing undue anxiety and dissatisfaction with such programs of government at the centre.
”As a responsible Party, we reiterate our unflinching disposition to transparency and accountability in governance, as well as total intolerance for corruption. We do not believe that certain persons should be treated as sacred cow, while others haunted unjustly.
”We again, welcome any genuine efforts at fighting corruption in the land, a stand that informed the setting of the judicial commission of Inquiry in Rivers State, but we appeal to the President to stop shielding APC leaders, including former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and emboldening them with appointments and treatments that negate his claimed intolerance of corrupt practices and fraudulent acts.
”We urge him to allow Amaechi face corruption charges against him, if he is committed and sincere in the corruption probe. It would be recalled that the Rivers State government has set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry for the investigation of Rotimi Amaechi’s administration with respect to the sale of valued assets of Rivers State and other related matters.
