The determination of Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi to occupy the Presidential Mansion (State House) Abuja come 2015 is daily gathering momentum, going by facts made available exclusively to Nigerian Pilot.
Sources close to the youthful chairman OF Nigerian Governors Forum revealed that in the last four months the Governor has acquired four aircrafts, (two armoured helicopters and 2 private jets) ostensibly for the purposes of easing logistics form political campaigns expected to kick off next year going by current INEC guidelines. These acquisitions in addition to existing structures are said to be causing ripples in official circles as the aircrafts were alleged not to have been approved by relevant authorities including the State Legislators
The sources further revealed that despite the assurances Amaechi gave to the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Tony Anenih, when Anenih visited Port Harcourt last weekend, Amaechi had concluded plans to ditch the ruling Peoples Democratic Party PDP, for an opposition party under whose platform he intends to contest the 2015 Presidency. He is also said to be wooing some South East State Governors to whom he had pledged financial assistance of about N2Billion each.
Of recent, the Governor has been a regular feature in the news for reasons of his alleged differences with his party. According to information obtained by Nigerian Pilot, Amaechi’s bitterness with the PDP predates current happenings. Before the furore over the threat to his Chairmanship of the NGF began, he had allegedly acquired bullet proof helicopters and some Gulf Stream Private jets.
A source close to the embattled Governor revealed that, “it is all for his 2015 campaign when he joins a Northern Governor to run for the Presidency”.
Experts in aviation matters confirmed to Nigerian Pilot last night that while one armoured helicopter sells for about $18miilion, the Gulf Stream cost $10million each.
A few top Rivers State Government officials spoken to on phone last night expressed shock at the development, with one of them, a Senior official in the State Ministry of Finance, wondering if the Governor got any legislative approval before he embarked on the purchase.
That amounts to flagrant abuse of due process. If the amount, a princely $56million; that is about N9billion was not budgeted for and neither the eventual expense approved by the State Assembly, then our people will have to ask the Governor and the Lawmakers what is really happening,” said the Government House official.
Source: Nigerian Pilot
UPDATE: Amaechi speak
Says: I Will Not Dump PDP
The Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has denied rumour making the rounds that he is dumping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for another party.
He said it will be foolhardy for one to dump a national party for an obscure one.
Amaechi was in the State House for a presidential committee meeting to intervene in the raging feud between Rivers and Bayelsa States over oil fields located in Soku, but was later called off .
On his reported plan to leave PDP, Amaechi said, “I am still in the PDP. I am a member of the PDP. PDP is the only national party in the country for now. Why will one want to leave a national party and go to another party?”
On allegation of procurement of aircraft for 2015 campaign, he said it was untrue and those behind the report were only being mischievous, saying the aircrafts bought by the State Government were for security surveillance which was approved by the Federal Government.
Amaechi said, “Why do you want to make that newspaper popular? It is a paper that does not sell beyond Abuja.
The truth is that, and the Federal Government is aware, they give us approval to buy an helicopter to fly around Rivers State for the purpose of security and we have done that, we bought and we paid.
“Up till now, they have not allowed the helicopter to come in. Maybe they are afraid that it is for 2015. Please help us beg them on behalf of Rivers State that we need the aircraft to be able to secure the people of the state.
“Again, it is not within our control, it is in the control of the Nigerian Airforce. Although we will hire a civilian pilot but Nigerian security will manage it, not us.
“How will you use what is in the hands of Nigerian security to campaign?
You see the mischief? The helicopter is to ensure that Rivers State is under watch for 24 hours. It has cameras, so if somebody is committing a crime, we are seeing it. The monitors are in the office of the Brigade Commander, office of the state director of SSS, office of the governor, office of the commissioner of police. So for Christ sake, tell me how you will use it for campaign.
“You can see a lot of mischief. As usual, people will try to dent your image to show that this man is not as transparent as he claims after all.
We have argued about the first aircraft we bought, that is no longer a story. We did not buy two jets”.
A national daily, had alleged that Amaechi had in the last four months acquired four aircrafts, (two armoured helicopters and two private jets) ostensibly for political campaign in the 2015 presidential elections.
The paper quoting experts said one armoured helicopter sells for about $18 million while the Gulf Stream costs $10 million. It said the the sum total of $56 million (N9 billion) used for the procurement of the aircrafts was not budgeted for.
Source: 9jacommunity
