Dame Judith Amaechi, wife of former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, has dismissed allegations made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, describing them as a smear campaign designed to tarnish her reputation.
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Wike, during a recent Channels TV interview, alleged that Amaechi was receiving ₦4 billion monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Reacting in a statement issued through her media aide, Dike Bekwele, Amaechi described the claims as “wild, unfounded, and a figment of Wike’s imagination,” insisting they were political blackmail aimed at discrediting her and her non-governmental organisation, the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI).
She challenged Wike to produce documentary evidence to substantiate his claims, stating: “There is absolutely no iota of veracity in the allegation. Dame Amaechi did not and has never received ₦4 billion monthly from the NDDC.”
Amaechi maintained that ESI operates transparently and that all collaborations with the NDDC have been subject to public scrutiny, noting that no audit report, whether public or private, had ever indicted her or her organisation.
“It is preposterous for Wike to claim that ESI or I were indicted in a forensic audit report that hasn’t even been published,” she added.
The statement also took issue with Wike’s reliance on media accusations, accusing him of engaging in a “trial by publicity” rather than presenting verifiable facts.
“If Wike cannot release the portion of the audit report that allegedly indicts her, then he should step down and tender an unreserved public apology,” the statement read.
Amaechi’s team further demanded the immediate publication of the forensic audit report or, failing that, Wike’s resignation as FCT Minister accompanied by a national apology.