Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has challenged former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, to produce evidence backing his allegation that he introduced a 50 per cent deduction from payments to contractors executing projects for the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Akpabio’s position was contained in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, who described the allegation as serious and requiring concrete evidence.
The Senate President said Amaechi had not presented contract documents, payment records or specific transactions to substantiate the claim.
Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation and vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, made the allegation while addressing supporters at the party’s campaign rally at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi State on Saturday.
He also criticised President Bola Tinubu over the prevailing economic hardship in the country.
The former governor’s accusation came amid what he described as recent remarks by Akpabio against him in Port Harcourt.
Reacting, Akpabio asked Amaechi to identify the contractors allegedly affected by the deductions, the contracts involved, when the payments were made and the arrangements under which the alleged deductions occurred.
He also demanded evidence establishing his personal involvement in the purported practice.
“An allegation delivered before an enthusiastic political audience does not, by that circumstance alone, acquire the status of an established fact.”
Akpabio urged the former governor to channel any credible evidence to relevant investigative agencies instead of using the allegation as a tool for political confrontation.
“If Amaechi possesses credible evidence of unlawful deductions involving NDDC contractors, the appropriate course is to identify the relevant transactions, disclose the supporting records and submit the material to competent investigative authorities and not the act of rabble-rousing,” he said.
The Senate President also questioned Amaechi’s record during his eight-year tenure as Rivers State governor between 2007 and 2015, arguing that his administration’s projects should equally be subjected to public scrutiny.
Among the projects cited was the Port Harcourt monorail, which attracted controversy over its reported cost, incomplete implementation and failure to provide the expected transportation services.
Akpabio also referenced the Malaria-free Rivers State initiative, raising questions about public expenditure, project delivery and the value derived from the investments.
He said the assessment of the projects should consider the amount spent, the level of implementation, whether their original objectives were achieved and the contractual and institutional decisions that influenced their outcomes.
“Public accountability does not begin and end with one’s political opponents. It extends to every public official entrusted with resources, authority and responsibility,” he stated.
Akpabio warned that the approaching 2027 general elections should not be used as a justification for making allegations without supporting evidence.
He, however, said concerns about the finances and administration of the NDDC deserved proper investigation, noting that the commission was established to address the developmental challenges confronting the oil-producing Niger Delta region, particularly in infrastructure and environmental management.
The Senate President stressed that the welfare of residents in the region should remain the priority, calling for transparent procurement processes, completed projects and measurable development outcomes.
He added that while Amaechi had the right to question public administration, he must distinguish between allegations and claims supported by verifiable evidence.
“The credibility of a public allegation must rest not on the volume of its delivery, the status of its author or the occasion on which it is made, but on the quality of the evidence supporting it. Let the facts speak,” he added.
