Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has responded to his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi’s declaration on Saturday that he would not appear before the Justice George Omereji panel of inquiry, advising the ex-governor to go and defend himself at the judicial commission of inquiry.
Wike, who spoke on Sunday through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Sir Opunabo Inko-Tariah, stressed that he would not join issues with Amaechi over the setting up of the judicial commission of inquiry, adding that it was wrong for him to describe the commission as illegal even when the court had ruled that the panel was in order.
Wike posited that it was necessary for Amaechi to defend himself on certain issues concerning how the state was managed like former governor, Dr. Peter Odili, did in the past.
It will be recalled that Wike had set up the panel to probe the sale of state’s assets and other related matters by the immediate past administration. But Amaechi on Saturday told members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Port Harcourt that Wike failed to comply with the laws setting up an administrative panel as such he would not appear before it.
Wike held that the former governor was put to shame when the court recently pronounced that nothing was wrong with the setting up of a judicial commission of inquiry to probe the immediate past administration.
According to the statement,“It is laughable that Amaechi will call a panel that has already been declared lawful by a court of law illegal. This means as of when he questioned its proprietary in court, he thought the court will declare it illegal but was shamed.
“This is no media trial and the government (Rivers) will not be embroiled in any war of attrition. He (Amaechi) should go and defend himself just like Dr. Peter Odili did during the Kayode Esho’s panel.”
The statement, however, dismissed the allegations against the Rivers governor by Amaechi, adding that trying to whip up sentiments in the media will not help the former governor.
It reads, “Media trial will not vindicate him (Amaechi as the sentiments he is trying to whip up has failed. Wike has no skeleton in his cupboard to unearth.
“We will not join issues with a contradiction of Paradox like Amaechi who claims he left 7.5billion in one forum and in another, he said 10billion.
“He (Wike) is concerned with the development of the state and getting Rivers people to enjoy the dividends of democracy, which he promised them and for which they freely and gleefully gave him their mandate.”
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