Rivers drops the charges against Amaechi and Cole, an APC candidate for governor

The criminal charges that the government of Rivers state had brought against Rotimi Amaechi, a former minister of transportation, have been dropped.

Similar accusations were dropped by the state administration against Tonye Cole, an All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor, and five other individuals.

When Amaechi was the state governor, Rivers state filed a criminal complaint against them, accusing them of selling the government’s assets worth billions of naira.

Prof. Zaccheus Adangor, the state government’s attorney general and commissioner for justice, informed the court that he was dropping the lawsuit when the case was reopened for a decision on whether it was legal for a private attorney to pursue the case.

The APC’s attorneys, Amaechi and Cole, contended that, if the lawsuit had to be withdrawn, doing so would be a misuse of the legal system and asked the court to drop the criminal charges.

After hearing arguments, the presiding judge, Justice Okogbule Gbasam, dismissed the lawsuit and the accusations leveled against the APC and others.

Achinike Wobodo, one of the defendants’ attorneys, stated to journalists about the proceedings in court that they were prepared to go up against the state government anytime further charges were brought against their clients.

Wobodo declared, “As of right now, no one has been charged in any court. We do not aim to interfere with their decision to bring additional charges or not.

“We will also challenge them if they bring any additional charges, one at a time.We told the Rivers people that these actions were just intended to harm these gentlemen.