The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians to disregard the call by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) on two serving Ministers, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, to step aside for alleged subversion of justice in Rivers State.
The ruling party’s response, which also
described the opposition party’s call as frivolous and mischievous, was
contained in a release issued by the Rivers State Chairman of APC, Chief
Davies Ibiamu Ikanya.
According to the release by Ikanya, “the
Rivers State chapter of All Progressives Congress, (APC), has taken
notice of a press release by the Peoples’ Democratic Party, (PDP) and
signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, calling
on President Muhammadu Buhari to ask the Minister of Transportation,
Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the Minister of Science and
Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu to step aside because some Justices
accused and being investigated of corruption had curiously described
their investigation as act of persecution by the Buhari administration
for not favouring the All Progressives Congress, APC, in election
matters arising from the 2015 general elections in some states.
The statement reads: “The call by the
PDP flies in the face of reason, fairness, common sense and cause of
justice. 1. It is a known fact that embattled Justices Sylvester Ngwuta
and John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court who are currently under DSS
investigation for serious corruption charges only resorted to the cheap,
convenient, everyday reaction of people caught red-handed committing
crimes in order to divert attention away from the grave reality
confronting them especially when faced with sufficient evidence.
“Indeed, it is even more disconcerting
that PDP in the said call, refused to recognise the naked fact that by
accusing the Ministers of attempting to induce them to pervert the
course of justice, the accused Hon. Justices introduced unrelated
allegations against innocent persons unconnected with the matter for
which they are being investigated, something that many accused persons
easily, conveniently and cheaply resort to when caged.
“The questions that quickly come to mind
include: were the huge sums of money reportedly found in their homes
given to them by the Ministers they are accusing? Do the petitions for
which the Justices are being investigated have anything to do with
Amaechi or Onu? Are Justices of the Supreme Court unaware that relevant
laws of the land imposes on them the strict duty to properly and
formally report inducement of any kind in a timely manner or risk prison
term of not less than 2 years?
“We urge Mr. President and Nigerians to
completely disregard PDP call for the sacking of Amaechi and Onu. Why
should they be sacked? What crime did they commit for PDP to call for
their sack? These fine gentlemen did nothing wrong. Mr. President should
not and cannot act based on mere accusations from the Supreme Court
Justices without any iota of proof or evidence to back their claims. And
we should not forget that these Justices only started making these
false accusations against Amaechi & Onu, after they were arrested by
the DSS.
“PDP call is fraudulent, unnecessary, a
distraction from the real problems of fighting corruption in the
Judiciary. They should allow Mr. President fight corruption without
their childish, partisan distractions. The President Buhari’s fight
against corruption is about Nigeria and moving Nigeria forward.
“The PDP should rather be calling for
the expulsion and sack of their governors and senate minority leader
from the South-South region who has been involved in the pervasion of
justice in governorship electoral matters by financially inducing the
Supreme Court Justices under investigation.
“Yes, as a party, we re-affirm our
belief that the PDP governors and Senate Minority Leader who perverted
justice and then turned around to orchestrate wrongful and false
accusations against the Transportation Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi
through the Supreme Court Justices in order to cover their tracks,
crime, distract attention and destroy Amaechi, are the ones that the PDP
should expel from their party, banish from politics and call for their
resignation or sacking.
“Again, we stand by our earlier
statement on the ignominious roles of the governors of Rivers, Akwa Ibom
and Delta States, and the Senate Minority leader in the pervasion of
the course of justice at the apex court and the subsequent failed
attempt to pin the Justices’ travails on Amaechi. In the days ahead,
more details will continue to come out.
“For instance, it is already in the open
that Governor Nyesom Wike held a secret meeting in a hotel in Owerri,
Imo State with one of the Supreme Court Justices that was arrested by
the Directorate of State Services (DSS). The agenda of that meeting was
for the apex court Justice to assist Wike to get a favourable judgment
and pervert the course of justice in the Rivers State governorship
election matter that was then about going to the apex court”, Ikanya
stated.
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