By Nwaorgu Faustinus
The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, [APC], says it has come to its notice, that Governor Nyesom Wike and the PDP in their failed bid to ensure that the Senate does not screen Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, have now resorted to publishing counterfeit news items through their sponsored Internet news outlets.
The APC in a statement signed by its spokesman, Chris Finebone said some of the PDP internet outlets are Nigeriana.org with a fake story captioned “APC Ministerial Crisis: ‘Screen And Confirm Me or Refund My Money’ – Angry Amaechi To APC Leaders.”, and another of such fake story is by the notorious PDP Scannewsnigeria.com with a caption, “Ministerial Screening of Buhari’s Sponsor: EFCC arrests Minority.Leader as FG intimidates PDP Senators.”
According to press statement, “in both online publications, agents of Governor Wike and the PDP tried to justify the huge funds the Rivers State Governor is providing to them by concocting wild, pedestrian stories in form of news which are put out to unsuspecting and gullible online readers”.
The APC noted that “these online outlets have in the past concocted several fake news stories purporting such stories to be based on interviews with the former governor that actually never held; they also claim to have talked with close associates of the former governor who they fail to name just because confidentiality of sources is a right accorded to journalists under the law. Again, they continue to indulge in their malfeasance because most online readers often fail to see through such false stories and the sinister motives of those behind them.”
It emphasised that Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi did not speak with any journalist as stated in the Nigeriana.com story under reference.
“He also did not, at anytime, hold any discussions with associates, friends or any person/persons over the matter of his Senate screening at any time and certainly did not and still does not have reasons to.discuss such issues with anyone along the lines expressed by the shameless online publication. Former Governor Amaechi is at peace with himself and God. Therefore, the said publications are manifestly false.in their entirety. Indeed, they are emanations from the infantile imagination of those behind them and aimed at inciting the.Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and blackmail them against the upcoming screening of the former governor as one of the ministerial nominees by President Mohammadu Buhari.”
The APC urged the Distinguished Senators and all other Nigerians to discountenance the aforementioned fake stories and many more the PDP are likely to put out in the public domain in the next few days especially as Governor Wike and his co-travellers have woefully failed in their bid to stall the ascension of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria even if the former governor virtually forced former President Goodluck Jonathan to make Nyesom Wike a Minister as confessed to by the former President Jonathan himself.
“The free news APC has for these men is that Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi will become a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the matter is beyond mortal men like them”, the statement averred.
