The Rivers state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the 2015 general elections, Dr Dakuku Peterside, has laughed off Governor Nyesom Wike’s constitution of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry.
It is barely 24 hours since the governor constituted a panel of Inquiry, to investigate alleged violence that took place during the December 10, 2016 rerun elections.
Peterside, described Wike’s action like the proverbial witch who cried a previous night and the child dies the following day, adding that the governor has no shame as he continues to ridicule the office he occupies.
“Are there no people telling the governor the truth? here is a governor who told Rivers people not to attend an investigative panel set up by Police to probe issues surrounding the election and an audio that went viral where the governor threatened INEC officials with death.
“Is it not laughable that the same governor has now set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe issues surrounding the election and he expects Rivers people to obey him. What manner of a governor is Nyesom Wike,” he questioned.
Furthermore, he stated: “How can a responsible governor be urging Rivers people to be lawless, how can such a governor call Rivers people not to obey police investigation and yet, expects the same people to obey his own kangaroo judicial commission?
“The same Wike accused police of seeking to achieve a predetermined goal in its investigation to nail PDP members and I ask, what goal is the governor seeking to achieve with his own panel of inquiry, to exonerate PDP members and pronounce APC members guilty?
Dr Peterside, who is also the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said Wike remains an accused in the matter and could therefore not set up an investigative panel, else it is dead on arrival.
“I call on the Justice Chinwendu Nwogu-led panel to be very careful not to be used by Wike to achieve a dubious end. We all recall the Omereji panel and what the governor wanted to use it to achieve. In the end, his evil plan failed.
“Justice Nwogu was only recently made a judge by Nyesom Wike. I hope that he is not being used to do the bidding of the governor and PDP.
“My admonition to the judge is that he should know that posterity awaits him if he allows himself to be used by the governor,” Peterside stressed.
This follows the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) demand for the immediate redeployment of Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Aniedi Ikoiwak.
According to the party, the REC had colluded with Governor Nyesom Wike and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to rig the elections in favour of PDP.
In an election which was violence-ridden, the APC made the comments after an audio recording in which Wike allegedly threatened INEC officials, surfaced few days ago.
They also said concerning the 70 incidents reported, Wike must submit himself to the Police Probe Panel to join the police in bringing an end to the killings in Rivers State since he assumed office.
The governor on the other hand, rejected the order, stating that himself, as well as people of the state would not be party to the police ‘phoney’ probe panel.
