Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has challenged Senate President Godswill Akpabio to publicly account for an alleged 50 per cent deduction imposed on contractors handling projects for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Addressing a crowd of supporters on Saturday at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi State during a campaign rally for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Amaechi, who serves as the party’s vice presidential candidate, alleged that Akpabio initiated the controversial practice during his tenure as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

The accusation comes on the heels of recent political barbs traded between the two South-South political heavyweights, following comments Akpabio reportedly made against Amaechi during a recent visit to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

“Akpabio, who was in Port Harcourt the other day abusing me and talking nonsense, ask him who introduced 50 per cent from contractors in NDDC. It was Akpabio,” Amaechi told the gathering.

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While the former Minister of Transportation insisted that the Senate President must explain his role in the alleged deductions, he did not present any documentary evidence or specific contract details at the rally to substantiate the claim.

Akpabio oversaw the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs between 2019 and 2022 under the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, prior to his emergence as President of the 10th Senate in June 2023. The NDDC, which falls under the ministry’s supervision, was established in 2000 to drive infrastructure and socio-economic development across Nigeria’s nine oil-producing states: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers. Over the years, the commission has frequently been embroiled in controversies surrounding financial mismanagement, abandoned projects, and contract irregularities.

Beyond his exchange with the Senate President, Amaechi used the Bauchi rally to take aim at President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, blaming the current administration for the escalating cost of living across the country. He accused the federal government of hoarding national resources at the expense of ordinary citizens.

Positioning the ADC as an alternative ahead of the 2027 general elections, Amaechi pledged that an ADC-led government would reinstate fuel and electricity subsidies to drive down inflation and relieve financial pressure on households.

“We will bring back subsidy, the price of everything will go down. We know your suffering, there is too much money, Tinubu has collected all the money,” he stated.

He further promised a sweeping anti-corruption drive to ensure public funds are redirected toward citizens’ welfare. “We will wipe out corruption. The presidential candidate told this to you. We will make sure that we hand over the money back to you so that you can stop suffering,” Amaechi added.

Concluding his remarks, the former governor rallied Bauchi residents to vote for the ADC in 2027 and urged the electorate to safeguard the integrity of the ballot by remaining at their polling units after voting until results are formally counted and declared.