The current plight of two former governors of two oil-rich states in Nigeria makes interesting reading.
Godswill Akpabio, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State and now Senate Minority Leader, has had two interviews under caution (some say by invitation, others say by way of arrest) on Friday and Saturday with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The questioning was prompted by a petition claiming that Akpabio defrauded his state of 108bn naira ($542m).
The EFCC also has several petitions against Amaechi, including one from “The Integrity Group”. The allegations include converting the proceeds from the sale of Rivers State “electricity projects” to personal use. The amounts allegedly involved are 60bn naira ($301m). A source also claimed that the EFCC’s “Amaechi file” was prepared under the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.
A judicial inquiry in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, also indicted Amaechi for “fraudulent transactions” in the sale of state assets. The inquiry claimed that about 97bn naira ($486.9m) was misappropriated in the sale of state assets.
But instead of an “invitation” from the EFCC, Amaechi was first invited to go with President Muhammadu Buhari on trips to Washington and New York. In New York, the president appealed to foreign governments to help Nigeria recover stolen funds stashed in foreign banks.
On his return from New York, the president invited Amaechi to join in his cabinet.
Akpabio and Amaechi both belonged to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But Amaechi jumped ship last year to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and is rumoured to have footed the majority of the bill for Buhari’s presidential campaign.
Akpabio must be wondering if he would have been getting a different invitation if he had followed in the footsteps of his fellow PDP and Niger Delta ex-governor. In the current climate, you are corrupt until proven to be APC.
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