The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has called on Governor Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike to be truthful about the monthly revenue allocation from the Federation Account since he assumed office in 2015.
The party insisted that at the time the minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi left office as governor of the state in May 2015, the state was receiving less than N10 billion as monthly revenue allocation.
The APC, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday by its publicity secretary, Chris Finebone, accused Wike of misinforming the public by alleging that the Amaechi-led administration was receiving between N27billion and N30billion monthly federal allocation while the present federal government has cut the allocation for the state under his administration.
The statement reads in part, “The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State is dismayed that two years after the 2015 elections, Governor Nyesom Wike is still carrying on with his style of campaigns full of bare-faced lies and misrepresentation of facts to unsuspecting Rivers people.
“The governor yesterday (Sunday) told the Synod of Anglican Church in the house of God that the administration of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was receiving between N27billion and N30billion monthly federal allocation while the present federal government has cut the allocation for the State under his administration. He blamed the alleged move on attempts to sabotage his government.
“Firstly, if the Amaechi administration received anything close to N25billion during his 8-year tenure it must be for less than 6 months in his first tenure when Nyesom Wike was Chief of Staff to former Governor Chibuike Amaechi. That was when oil price was at its highest and the over 300 oil wells taken away by the Goodluck Jonathan government were still property of Rivers State.
“For more than three years of the Amaechi second tenure after Soku and other oil wells had been taken and transferred to other states coupled with dwindling oil prices and production levels, the government then was receiving less than N10billion monthly allocations up till 2015.
“If Governor Wike is receiving less than N10b allocations today, he is in part responsible for the fate the State is facing. He encouraged the Jonathan administration to take away Rivers oil wells believing that he was undoing Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. It would be recalled that the former governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi had earlier warned Governor Wike of what he (Wike) is complaining about today. Now, the chicken has come to roost, Gov. Wike should deal with it and save us his display of verbal indiscretion.
“More significantly is the fact that Governor Nyesom Wike, having successfully concealed the budgets of Rivers State from the people for the second year, has also refused to tell Rivers people that Rivers State last month received the highest sum of N14.5billion Paris Loan Refund from the Buhari administration.
“Instead of applauding the Buhari government for several bailouts funds, prompt refunds and general concern for the finances of states of Nigeria, Rivers State inclusive, Governor Wike has rather chosen to bite the finger that feeds him. This is not surprising; after all, the governor has always been that especially to his benefactor, Chibuike Amaechi.
“The APC believes that Governor Nyesom Wike is merely diverting attention from being transparent with the finances of Rivers State by making misleading statements to Rivers people even in the hallowed house of God.”
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