Akpabio’s Office Challenges Amaechi to Provide Evidence of Alleged NDDC Deductions

The Office of the President of the Senate has reacted to statements attributed to former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, at a political rally in Bauchi State on Saturday, 14 November 2026, alleging that the President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, introduced a 50 per cent deduction from payments to contractors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

In a statement issued on Sunday, 15 November 2026, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President of the Senate, Rt.

According to the statement, published accounts of Amaechi’s remarks contained no contract documents, payment records, identifiable transactions or other verifiable details to substantiate the accusation.

It noted that making an allegation before an enthusiastic political audience does not automatically establish it as fact.

The statement stressed that the distinction between political accusations and demonstrable wrongdoing remains fundamental to responsible public discourse, adding that public figures, particularly those who have occupied high executive offices, should understand the importance of maintaining decorum in public communication.
THE BURDEN OF PROOF CANNOT BE REPLACED BY RHETORIC

The Senate President’s Office stated that if Amaechi possesses credible evidence of unlawful deductions involving NDDC contractors, the appropriate action is to identify the affected transactions, disclose supporting records and submit the evidence to competent investigative authorities rather than engage in what it described as rabble-rousing.

It raised several questions, including the contracts involved, the contractors affected, when the alleged deductions were made, the payment arrangements through which they occurred and the evidence establishing the personal involvement attributed to the President of the Senate.

According to the statement, these are basic requirements of accountability and standards of proof, noting that neither the prominence of an accuser nor the intensity of his language can replace answers to such questions.

THE RIVERS STATE RECORD ALSO DESERVES SCRUTINY
The statement also recalled that Amaechi served as Governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015, during which his administration initiated major infrastructure, education, healthcare and transportation projects.

It maintained that his administration’s record remains a legitimate subject of public examination, particularly regarding expenditure, project completion, operational sustainability and value for money.

Two significant examples highlighted were the Port Harcourt monorail project and the Malaria-free Rivers State initiatives.

The statement observed that the monorail project became the subject of sustained controversy over its reported cost, incomplete implementation and eventual inability to provide the anticipated public transportation service.

It further raised questions about the expenditure incurred, the extent to which the original transportation objectives were achieved, the institutional and contractual decisions that contributed to the project’s difficulties and the lessons public authorities should learn from its implementation.

It stressed that public accountability does not begin and end with political opponents but extends to every public official entrusted with public resources, authority and responsibility.
POLITICAL COMPETITION MUST NOT DISPLACE PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY

The Office acknowledged that the approaching 2027 general elections would inevitably generate disagreements among political actors, describing such disagreements as normal in a democracy.
However, it cautioned that electoral competition does not remove the responsibility to speak carefully about issues capable of affecting public confidence and trust in institutions.

The statement noted that the NDDC was established to address longstanding developmental challenges in the Niger Delta, adding that allegations concerning its contracts, finances and administration should be subjected to credible investigative processes rather than turned into instruments of political confrontation.

It emphasised that the people of the Niger Delta deserve functional infrastructure, transparent procurement, completed projects and measurable developmental outcomes, insisting that their interests should remain central to discussions about the Commission.

A CALL FOR EVIDENCE AND INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
The Senate President’s Office maintained that Amaechi has the right to raise concerns about public administration but is equally obligated to distinguish between claims he can substantiate and those he merely alleges.
It added that the same standard applies to every public officeholder.

The statement therefore invited Amaechi to present any credible documentary evidence in his possession to the appropriate authorities for objective examination in accordance with the law.

It further stated that public accountability is strengthened when allegations are tested against evidence, public expenditure is assessed against outcomes and institutions are allowed to discharge their responsibilities without political interference.

The statement also maintained that Senator Godswill Akpabio’s record as Governor of Akwa Ibom State speaks eloquently and directly to this principle.

It concluded that the credibility of any public allegation should not be determined by the volume of its delivery, the status of its author or the occasion on which it is made, but by the quality of the evidence supporting it.
“Let the facts speak,” the statement declared.
Signed
Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, MNIPR
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity
Office of the President of the Senate