Gov Wike draws battle line with Akpabio over NDDC corruption allegations

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State may have drawn battle line with the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, over the corruption allegations against the members of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), including the minister. The crux of the emerging conflagration between the Rivers State governor and the minister is the attempt to intimidate and harass the former acting Managing Director of NDDC, Joy Nunieh, with the police.

Governor Wike had after the appearance of Nunieh at the National Assembly, though she did not make presentation at the House of Representatives but made starling revelations of alleged corruption against the minister and the IMC members; cautioned that nothing must happen to Dr. Nunieh because of her exposure of alleged corruption against the minister and IMC. The former NDDC MD is an indigene of Rivers State.

In a seemingly use of federal might to intimidate Nunieh, security operatives stormed her residence in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State, in the early hours of the Thursday. Joy Nunieh was to appear before a House of Representatives Committee in Abuja this Thursday.

However, Governor Nyesom Wike was gathered to have intervened and preventing the security operatives from harassing the former NDDC MD.

It was gathered that there was confusion on the arrival of the security operatives and that prevented Dr. Nunieh from proceeding on her trip to Abuja. however, arrangements were made for her to make presentation via zoom.

There was no link to the Niger Delta Minister, Godswill Akpabio, in the incident. Some stakeholders, however, insinuated that the minister would not be expected to fold his hands over the corruption allegations in the NDDC where he was accused of many things including alleged sexual harassment which he had since refuted.