The
lingering accusation and counter-accusation, over the alleged culpability of
Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi in the bribery scandal with some
Justices of the Supreme Court to pervert justice in the governorship election
matters, has reach a stage where the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC), must speak out.
Observers
are of the opinion that it is necessary the presidency took a position now, to
protect the administration’s ongoing anti-corruption drive.
Following
the stunning revelations that Amaechi attempted to bribe some judges in the
governorship election matters that were before the appellate court, the Rivers
State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called on the former
governor of Rivers State to resign his position, saying he lacks the moral
justification to remain in office as a minister.
But
in response, the Rivers State chapter of APC has stood in stout defence of the
minister, as it dismissed the calls for his resignation by PDP, saying the
former governor is clean of the accusations of trying to influence the rulings
on some election petition cases.
Amaechi
is currently facing serious accusations by two Supreme Court Justices of being
behind their travails; including the raiding of their residences, arrest,
detention and carting away of various vital items and documents as well as
blackmail by operatives of Department of State Security Services.
The
Justices had accused Amaechi of approaching them and demanded that Rivers, Akwa
Ibom, Ebonyi, Abia and Ekiti states election petitions should be delivered in
favour of his party, the APC.
Justice
John Iyang Okoro, of the apex court had claimed that Amaechi told him (Okoro)
that President Buhari gave directives that the justices of the Supreme Court
must ensure that the APC wins its election appeals in respect of Rivers, Akwa
Ibom and Abia states, at all costs and that if the ruling party lost in Akwa
Ibom, where he (Amaechi) sponsored the candidate, he would have lost a fortune.
On
his part, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta stated that his refusal at various times, to
help the APC to pervert justice in the governorship election disputes involving
Ekiti, Rivers and Ebonyi states was responsible for his ordeal.
In
a letter dated October 18, which he forwarded to the Chief Justice of Nigeria
(CJN), Mahmud Mohammed and the National Judicial Council (NJC); he specifically
alleged that the minister had attempted to bribe him, and that after the
Supreme Court affirmed the Election of Governor Nyesom Wike, his predecessor,
Amaechi also called him (Ngwuta) on phone and said “Oga is not happy.”
It
was based on this development and the danger it poses to the nation’s
democracy, that the Chairman, Rivers State PDP, Felix Obuah, insisted that
relevant authorities must commence investigation into the allegations while he
called on the incumbent minister of transportation to first step aside from
carrying out national assignments in the capacity as a member of the Federal
Executive Council (FEC).
He
said this would allow for an uninterrupted and objective investigation by the
relevant government security and anti graft agencies.
Obuah
also said it is necessary for Mr. President to relieve Amaechi of his position
“pending the determination of the matter by the law enforcement and anti graft
agencies.”
According
to him, “For Amaechi to further prove his innocence of the various allegations
against him, there was the need for him to resign, cooperate and allow the
process of his investigation by not sabotaging any of such efforts in getting
to the truth.”
The
Rivers PDP chairman further explained that although the party was shocked at
the extent Amaechi went about attempting to steal the mandate of Nigerian
electorate, particularly in the affected states those revelations have however
vindicated the PDP “as it has consistently complained about the corrupt and
undemocratic dispositions of Mr. Amaechi and some of his APC folks.”
He
said, “We demand thorough investigation into these revelations by the Justices
of the Supreme Court and also call on Amaechi to resign immediately, as he
lacks the moral rectitude to remain in office as a public servant, Obuah
insisted.”
However,
the Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya took a contrary view,
insisting that the Amaechi is clean and not guilty as charged.
According
to him, “We are convinced that God, who has always fought for Amaechi, will
continue to save and strengthen him and will once again vindicate him.”
The
party went ahead to lambast the PDP and others who have joined in calling on
Amaechi to resign and for his probe based on the allegations of attempted
bribery by some Justices.
He
said those accusing the minister were drowning Judges who were looking for a
tool to stay afloat, saying: “These calls being championed by the PDP are just
the latest manifestation of the party’s frustration and fight against Amaechi
in retaliation for his role in dislodging them from power during the 2015
presidential elections.”
According
to APC, “These useless calls based on the unfounded and baseless attempted
bribery allegations against the former governor confirms our fears and stand
that the two discredited Justices made the allegations as part of a political
strategy to destroy APC and run down the political fortunes of this rising
star.
“PDP
is only acting out its frustration over the key role that Amaechi played to end
the corruption system engineered by the past PDP administration at the centre
but let us assure the public that this plot has already failed before it was
hatched because no sound Nigerian will buy this lame allegation that has no
logical stand.”
The
party recalled the failed plots by PDP to deny Amaechi the party’s
gubernatorial ticket he won convincingly in 2007 and the efforts PDP also made
to ensure that Amaechi was neither screened nor appointed as a minister.
“Having
failed to deny him the 2007 PDP gubernatorial ticket and to stop his
appointment as a minister, PDP is now sponsoring some Judges to implicate
Amaechi in the hope that doing so will save them from paying for their heinous
crime against the people of Rivers State and Nigeria.”
The
party also admonished the affected Justices of the apex court to face their
ordeals accordingly and leave Amaechi alone, saying: “Amaechi’s only crime was
that he played a yeoman’s role in the efforts to see to the emergence of Buhari
as the President of Nigeria.”
In
similar vein, the Enugu State chapter of APC defended Amaechi and his
counterpart in Science and Technology ministry, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu over bribery
allegations by Okoro and Ngwuta.
In
a statement by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Mrs. Kate Offor, it claimed it
was outrageous that instead of defending themselves, the Justices were “looking
for people to drag along in their predicament.”
According
to the party: “The Justices going by the powers conferred on them by the 1999
Constitution, are aware that they have the power to call on the police or even
their orderly to arrest anybody who is attempting to pervert the course of
justice. It is not enough to whisper to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who has
not owned up to such allegation.”
The
statement continued: “In the past we had forthright Judges like the late
Justice Anthony Aniagolu who voluntarily declined to be Chief Justice of
Nigeria after a military coup because he was the third in the hierarchy.”
Meanwhile,
Nigerians are expecting the presidency and its security agencies to react on
the matter following the allegations from the justices.
Before
now, there had been the perception that President Buhari’s anti-corruption
campaign has been a one sided war, which was perceived to be shielding some
government cronies while members of the opposition parties were the prime
target.
Source: Guardian
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