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Barrister Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike
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The All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State chapter,
has stated that Governor Nyesom Wike cannot overrule the Supreme Court on
his Thursday’s recognition of Sir Celestine Ngozichim Omehia as a former Rivers
governor.
APC, through its
Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, asked Wike, a former Minister of State for
Education and ex-Chief of Staff to former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, to stop
playing to the gallery.
The Rivers APC insisted
that Omehia was never “a governor in the eyes of the law,” according to the
Supreme Court, wondering why Wike would prefer to play politics with the issue
already decided by the apex court.
The Nation report continues:
APC said: “The Supreme
Court explicitly declared that Omehia held the office of Rivers governor in
error, illegally and ordered that Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi be immediately
inaugurated as the rightful governor of Rivers State.
“Apart from Rt. Hon.
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the next immediate beneficiary of that development was
Barr. Nyesom Wike, who was shortly appointed Chief of Staff by Rt. Hon.
Chibuike Amaechi. Can Governor Wike, in all honesty, recall drawing the
attention of his former boss to the need to override certain aspects of the
Supreme Court judgment and defiantly restore Omehia’s rights, howbeit, as he
has just done? Can governor Wike today own up to several of the anti-Omehia
actions he took as Amaechi’s Chief of Staff, until he was called to order?
“Rather than feel
surprised at the charade that the governor personally carried out on Thursday,
the APC feels embarrassed that an individual, who is licensed to practice law
within the Nigerian territory, would in the most flagrant manner, disregard the
judgment of the Supreme Court of the land, for selfish political expediency.
More embarrassing is that the recipient (Omehia) is himself a lawyer as well, who
had previously sought to get the Supreme Court reverse itself in related
matters without success.
“The APC will like Rivers
people and Nigerians to know that the action and utterances of Wike are nothing
more than standing in front of the mirror for the world to see and confirm the
real Wike, who is ready to abandon civility, reason and decency on the altar of
political expediency.
“Indeed, it does not
matter to Governor Wike that as a lawyer, he should be at the vanguard of
defending the pronouncements of courts rather than defying them. He should
defend the laws of the land, rather than break them. He should think, act and
talk like a governor and not just like any other citizen.”
APC said: “We expect that
if governor Wike was genuinely interested in rehabilitating Omehia, along the
line he has taken, the best would have been for him to approach the Supreme
Court to reverse its earlier decision on the matter and not resorting to self
help. Indeed, there are other legitimate ways to reward a political associate,
without breaking the law and defying state institutions.
“The APC rejects the
attempt by a sitting governor to undermine the integrity and sanctity of the
judiciary, which is what Wike did yesterday (on Thursday), against the verdict
of the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The Rivers APC also stated
that the action of the governor of the state suggested that he had abandoned
the oath of office and oath of allegiance he swore to on May 29, 2015, right on
top of the podium he stood.
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