The All Progressives Congress, Rivers state chapter, has laughed off a recent news report that insinuated that former Rivers governor, Rotimi Amaechi, was blackmailing Senators ahead of his ministerial screening.

The APC accused the Peoples Democratic Party of using internet outlets: Nigeriana.org and Scannewsnigeria.com to publish fake news to scuttle the ministerial screening of Amaechi.

A statement was released to this effect on Saturday, by APC Rivers spokesperson, Chris Finebone.

“These online outlets have in the past concocted  several fake news stories purporting such stories to be based on  interviews with the former governor that actually never held; they also claim to have talked with close associates of the former governor  who they fail to name just because confidentiality of sources is a  right accorded to journalists under the law.

Again, they continue to  indulge in their malfeasance because most online readers often fail to see through such false stories and the sinister motives of those
behind them.

“Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi did not speak with  any journalist as stated in the Nigeriana.com story under reference. He also did not, at anytime, hold any discussions with associates, friends or any person/persons over the matter of his Senate screening  at any time and certainly did not and still does not have reasons to  discuss such issues with anyone along the lines expressed by the  shameless online publication.

“Former Governor Amaechi is at peace with  himself and God. Therefore, the said publications are manifestly false  in their entirety. Indeed, they are emanations from the infantile  imagination of those behind them and aimed at inciting the  Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and  blackmail them against the upcoming screening of the former governor  as one of the ministerial nominees by President Mohammadu Buhari.

We urge the distinguished senators and all other Nigerians to  discountenance the aforementioned fake stories and many more the PDP are likely to put out in the public domain in the next few days  especially as Governor Wike and his co-travellers have woefully failed  in their bid to stall the ascension of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi  Amaechi as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria even if the  former governor virtually forced former President Goodluck Jonathan to  make Nyesom Wike a Minister as confessed to by the former President  Jonathan himself.

The free news APC has for these men is that Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi  Amaechi will become a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as  the matter is beyond mortal men like them.”