The Rivers State government has filed a new suit against its former governor and minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over the alleged fraudulent sale of state assets.
Amaechi was sued alongside the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Tonye Cole.
The case involves the sales of four gas turbines and the Olympia Hotel.
It also includes the alleged withdrawal of N96 billion from the Rivers State treasury and the award of the contract for the Port Harcourt Mono Rail, done when Amaechi was governor.
An earlier suit filed against Amaechi and Cole was struck out in October 2022 after the Rivers State attorney-general withdrew the charges.
Both men were first taken to court after an investigative panel instituted by Governor Nyesom Wike in 2015 indicted them.
Amaechi’s challenge of the probe was dismissed by the Supreme Court in May 2022.
The former governor’s allies are now accusing Governor Wike of attempting to frustrate the APC from featuring on the ballot in this year's governorship election.
A statement from a member of the party, Eze Chukwuemeka, implies that Governor Wike may have secured an “ironclad assurance” from the judiciary to do his bidding.
