Former Director-General, Nigeria Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, has alleged that the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike,blew N30 billion state funds on delegates during the recently concluded Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’spresidential primary.

Gov. Wike  is widely believed to be a heavy spender, however, he lost in his bid to secure the PDP ticket after allegedly dolling out huge sums of money to sway delegates at the primaries.

On the alleged wasteful outing, Peterside said that Gov. Wike squandered “about N10billion of public funds in unsolicited charity to states, and about N20billion pursuing his ill-fated presidential bid.”

He pointed out that as the governor embarks on spending spree, the state’s pensioners are not being paid their entitlements. Hence most of the pensioners go to bed hungry.

However, Wike has responded in a statement through his spokesperson, Kelvin Ebiri. He dismissed the allegations describing them as “spurious and baseless.” He said:

“Mr Peterside is speaking out of bitterness. Governor Wike defeated him in 2015 and he has not recovered from that experience. His governorship ambition has been thwarted twice by his principal(Chibuike Amechi).”

Peterside and Governor Wike both served as Commissioner for Works and Chief of Staff respectively, when the former Governor and presently presidential aspirant under All Progressives Congress (APC), Chibuike Amaechi,was in office as the governor of Rivers State.