‘Some people plotting to tarnish my reputation’ – Rotimi Amaechi

Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, has raised the alarm over a “heavily funded” campaign to smear him.

In a statement on Thursday, Amaechi said the aim of the campaign is to tarnish his “towering status” and do damage to his character and reputation.

The former minister said there is also an attempt to drag his name and that of an immediate family member into the affairs of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

“We have uncovered a well-oiled plot to orchestrate a heavily funded smear campaign of calumny and lies against Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the immediate past minister of transportation, immediate past governor of Rivers state and two-time director-general of the President Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaign,” read a statement issued by his media office.

“As we write this, we are aware that attempts are being made to peddle all sorts of fictitious, misleading and outrightly concocted stories, distorted and manipulated documents that would smudge the image and cast aspersions on the character, integrity and high morals of Amaechi, an astute and accomplished public servant.

“In respect to the NDDC, the defamation campaigners intend to create, make and push to the public space all sorts of speculative and baseless allegations against Amaechi; from the ridiculous, to the puerile and completely bizarre stories backed with distorted, phony and fake documents.

“For clarity, we state emphatically, that Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is not involved in anyway, in the management and operations of the NDDC.”

The former minister asked the public to take note of “the plan against me”.
“We want to notify and appeal to both traditional media and online (social) media practitioners to be wary of the insidious shenanigans of these purveyors and hawkers of fake news that is solely intended to deceive the public and destroy the sterling record of many years of meritorious public service by Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi,” he said.