Office of the President of the Senate has challenged former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to provide documentary evidence to support his allegation that Senate President Godswill Akpabio introduced a 50 per cent deduction from payments to contractors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Gatekeepers News reports that the challenge followed statements attributed to Amaechi at a political rally in Bauchi State on Saturday, November 14, 2026.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Senate President, Eseme Eyiboh, the office described the allegation as serious but insisted that it required verifiable evidence.
Eyiboh said published accounts of Amaechi’s remarks contained no contract documents, payment records, identifiable transactions or other particulars to substantiate the accusation.
He maintained that political statements should not be treated as established facts without supporting evidence, stressing that public figures must exercise responsibility in their communication.
The Senate President’s spokesman urged Amaechi to identify the contracts involved, the affected contractors, the dates of the alleged deductions and the payment arrangements through which they were made.
He also questioned what evidence linked Akpabio personally to the alleged deductions, urging the former governor to submit any credible documents to the appropriate investigative authorities.
The statement also called for scrutiny of Amaechi’s eight-year administration in Rivers State, particularly projects such as the Port Harcourt monorail and the Malaria-Free Rivers State initiative.
It noted that questions surrounding the cost, implementation and outcomes of the projects should be examined as part of broader public accountability.
Eyiboh further warned against allowing political competition ahead of the 2027 general elections to undermine responsible public discourse, adding that allegations concerning the NDDC’s contracts, finances and administration should be addressed through credible investigative processes.
He stressed that the people of the Niger Delta deserved functional infrastructure, transparent procurement, completed projects and measurable developmental outcomes.
The statement urged Amaechi to present any evidence in his possession for objective examination, insisting that public accountability must be based on verifiable facts rather than political rhetoric.
It added that the credibility of allegations should be determined by the quality of evidence supporting them.
