Nigerian governor denies sponsoring Rawlings

Accra, July 3, GNA - Governor of Rivers State of Nigeria, Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has denied funding the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) campaign for election 2008 through former President Jerry John Rawlings.

Mr Amaechi has challenged the publishers of www.pointblanknews.com to help any investigative body with proof that the Governor supported the NDC's campaign.

The Ghanaian media last week were awash with the publication originated by the news blog which imputed criminal conduct on the part of the Governor and suggested he had misappropriated state funds, including doling out a $3.5 million cheque to former President Rawlings to help the NDC prosecute its electoral campaign. Mr. David Iyofor, a Senior Media Adviser to the Governor, told the come and tell us which bank in Ghana or which bank in Nigeria was the cheque cleared from."

Mr. Iyofor described the allegations as 'arrant nonsense' and a figment of the writer's imagination.

He said the story "is a piece of irresponsible journalism and the Governor is very surprised the spurious allegations elicited so much publicity in the Ghanaian media when nobody back in Nigeria is talking about it because of its obvious unreliability". He challenged the writers to put out which bank honoured the cheque to help any persons or body interested in seeking the truth to pursue the matter.

Mr Iyofor said the embarrassment that the publication had caused the Governor and his family was immense and advised the media to refrain from the spread of such untruth, "least I will be forced to go legal."