A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Hon Justice Adolphus Enebeli has declared that the Police has a constitutional right to investigate,arrest and prosecute the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly Hon Otelema Amachree,or anybody in connection with any crime he committed. Delivering its judgment, the Court dismissed the case brought by the Speaker seeking to restrain the police from investigating and arressting him in connection with an allegation he made about a plot to assassinate the Rivers State Governor,Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi which he could not substantiate.
Reacting to the judgment, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State headed by Mr Felix Obuah lauded the judiciary for the pronouncement and called on the Inspector General of Police to arrest and investigate the claims made by the Speaker. According to the PDP, by this judgment, those who accused the Speaker of merely raising false alarm have been vindicated.
The party through a statement issued by Jerry Needam, Special Adviser on Media to the state PDP chairman said the court’s ruling is a signal to false alarmists to be cautious as they can no longer make spurious allegations and get away with it.
The statement stressed that the court ruling has also strengthened the confidence of the people in the Nigerian judiciary as the last hope of the common man.
Urging the police to be thorough in its investigation, Mr Needam said that the allegation of a plot to kill the Governor of the state is so weighty and cannot just be wished away as mere political rhetorics.
The PDP advised Otelemaba,the embattled Speaker to submit himself for interrogation by the police in his own interest to avoid been declared wanted by the Police like his counterparT, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The Speaker had gone to court to restrain the police from arresting him after alleging that there were attempts to assassinate gov Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State in the heat of the crisis. An allegation the police referred to as too weighty to be wished away. ##
Barth Ndu
