Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has challenged former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, to provide documentary evidence to support his allegation that he introduced a 50 per cent deduction from payments to contractors handling projects for the Niger Delta Development Commission.
He disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh.
Akpabio, who described the allegation as weighty, noted that Amaechi had yet to provide contract documents, payment records or details of identifiable transactions to substantiate it.
Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation and vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, had accused the Senate President of introducing the alleged deductions while addressing supporters at the ADC campaign rally held at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi State on Saturday.
The former governor also criticised President Bola Tinubu over the country’s economic hardship.
His allegation followed what he described as recent comments by Akpabio against him in Port Harcourt.
However, Akpabio challenged Amaechi to identify the contractors affected, the contracts involved, when the deductions were allegedly made and the payment arrangements through which they occurred.
The lawmaker also demanded evidence linking him personally to the alleged practice.
He said, “An allegation delivered before an enthusiastic political audience does not, by that circumstance alone, acquire the status of an established fact.”
The Senate President further urged the former governor to submit any credible evidence in his possession to the appropriate investigative authorities rather than use the allegation 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.
Akpabio also turned the spotlight on Amaechi’s eight-year administration in Rivers State, which lasted from 2007 to 2015, saying his record in office was equally open to public scrutiny.
He specifically cited the Port Harcourt monorail project, which became controversial over its reported cost, incomplete implementation and failure to deliver the anticipated public transportation service.
The Senate President also mentioned the Malaria-free Rivers State initiative, arguing that public officials should be prepared to account for expenditure, project delivery and value for money.
According to him, questions surrounding the projects should include the amount spent, the extent to which their original objectives were achieved, and the institutional and contractual decisions that contributed to 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.
According to him, the approaching 2027 general elections should not provide an excuse for making unsubstantiated allegations, adding that issues concerning the finances and administration of the NDDC deserved credible investigation.
The commission was established to address developmental challenges in the oil-producing Niger Delta region, particularly its infrastructure and environmental needs.
Akpabio maintained that the interests of the region’s residents should remain central to discussions about the commission, stressing the need for transparent procurement, completed projects and measurable developmental outcomes.
He added that Amaechi was entitled to raise concerns about public administration but had a responsibility to distinguish between allegations and claims backed by 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.
