Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Amaechi, yesterday, suffered defeat at the Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as the court upheld the judgment of the state's High Court, which threw out his suit challenging the constitution of a Judicial Commission  of Enquiry to probe sale of valued assets when he was governor of the state.

It would be recalled that on assumption of office,  Governor Nyesom Wike constituted a commission to probe the sale of valued  assets of the state by Amaechi while he was governor of the state.

Amaechi, on his part, approached the Rivers State High Court, in Port Harcourt, challenging the action of the government.

Justice Amadi of the Rivers State High Court in his ruling, held that Governor Wike acted within the confines of the law to have revisited the circumstances under which those assets were sold, a development which prompted the former governor to go on appeal.

A unanimous judgment of the Appeal Court, yesterday, read by Justice F. O. Omoleye, dismissed Amaechi’s appeal, saying that the Judicial Commission of Enquiry was properly constituted by Governor Wike.

The appellate court said that the commission, chaired by Justice George Omereji, was in order to have looked into  the sales which included power assets of the state.

Justice Omoleye in the judgement also said that the commission acted right to have looked into issues around the N2 billion agric loan disbursed by the former government to cooperative societies and the monorail project of the former administration.

The other Justices are J. S. Abiriyi and S. T. Hussaini.

Attorney General of the state, Mr Emmanuel Aguma, SAN, hailed the judgement of the Appeal Court, saying it has vindicated the position of the state government that the commission was not constituted to witch hurt anybody, stressing that judgment had again validated the probe by the state government.

Vanguard