Disregard Call on Amaechi, Onu to Step Aside, APC Tells Buhari, Nigerians

Abimbola Akosile

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.