The prolonged political battle between Governor Rotimi
Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State and his erstwhile aide and friend, Barrister
Nyesom Wike, the acclaimed winner of the 2015 Governorship election in Rivers
State, may yet face the final onslaught over the May 29 hand over ceremony.
Amaechi of the APC has been at war with Wike over the
latter's bid to succeed him as governor. The reason for the governor's stance
is according to him, that it would be immoral and unfair in a multi-ethnic
state like Rivers for an Ikwerre indigene to succeed his brother when other
ethnic groups are yet to have a shot at power. But the fight to stop Wike with
a candidate from the Riverine Ijaw group, Dakuku Peterside as a rival did not
yield results as the PDP candidate was declared winner of the April 11
governorship election. The Independent National Electoral Commission in the
state has since issued Wike with a Certificate of Return.
The election, which is being challenged at the
Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, by Dakuku Peterside of the APC who
publicly alleged that there was no election in the state as the whole process
was characterised by high scale fraud and associated violence, which resulted
to the killing of over 50 members of his party.
Amaechi's fight to stop Wike may not be his personal
fight after all as according to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief O.C.J.
Okocha, "there is a looming Constitutional crisis in the state". The
absence of a Chief Judge or its equivalent as enshrined in Section 185 of the
Constitution, has further heightened the tension between the two camps.
While the supporters of the state governor blame Wike
and OCJ Okocha for the problem which tends to mar the chances of the
Governor-elect to be sworn-in on May 29, the camp of Wike dismissed it,
claiming that there is still a provision in the Constitution for any other
equivalent judicial officer in 'any' state to perform the ceremony of oath of
office and oath of allegiance.
It would be recalled that the issue of the appointment
of a substantive Chief Judge of the State after Justice Iche Ndu has been on
the front burner for one year now. Amaechi had preferred and appointed Justice
Peter Agumagu who was confirmed by the State Assembly but Nyesom Wike alongside
OCJ Okocha had gone to Court to challenge the actions of the governor, while
preferring the appointment Justice Daisy Okocha as the Chief Judge or the
Administrative Judge pending the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge.
But in a twist of fate, the crisis generated by the
PDP has come back to hunt Wike who is supposed to be sworn-in on May 29.
Okocha, a ‘turn around’ supporter of Wike and a member of the National Judicial
Council, NJC, is now asking the governor to appoint someone in order to avert
the looming crisis.
Though unconfirmed reports say the governor is not in
a hurry as the matter is already before the Court with the 'unlawful'
suspension of Agumagu by the NJC, while Daisy Okocha, the elder sister to OCJ
has gone to Court to challenge the appointment of Agumagu.
Wike who is known to be 'aggressive' in his political
pursuits is said to be exploring all the options to ensure he gets immunity
from May 29 in order to avoid being arrested and prosecuted for alleged massive
fraud, which he has been indicted for in several audit reports. While he is
said to have made attempts to convince Amaechi on the need for peace through
several emissary, Wike is also not willing to let go if the 'constitutional
crisis' is not resolved before the due date.
According to our checks, it is alleged that some
ex-militants who are loyal to the PDP chieftain are planning to force the
governor to succumb to pressure. They are said to be plotting the kidnap of
someone very close to the governor, a family member whose release will only be
if the governor goes ahead to appoint someone to the office for the May 29 hand
over ceremony.
The Governor-elect whose tenure may be short-lived if
the Court nullifies his election based on substantial evidence by the APC, has
already inaugurated a Transition Committee headed by Amaechi's estranged
Deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru while the state government is yet to do so.
Many who believe that Wike if sworn-in will have his
way with the judiciary as he is known to do, may yet be disappointed with the
coming of a new government headed by General Muhammadu Buhari rtd, where
Amaechi is highly influential. It is not likely that Amaechi will be around to
hand over to Wike though his deputy is already working with the latter.
Meanwhile, there are indications that on the night
preceding the Democracy Day, security agencies may be drafted from Abuja to
guard the Government. House. It is not clear if President Jonathan will be
willing to stick out his neck for Wike with his alleged strained relationship
with his wife, Patience, who it was, that contributed more to the controversial
victory of the former Minister.
Residents of the state may be in for another drama as
Wike is said to have perfected plans to have an early morning ceremony with a
Chief Judge from a neighbouring state performing the duty.
But will he succeed in accessing the Government House
and its accounts with a shift in loyalty to General Buhari by the security
agencies? That may be the high point of the Amaechi/ Wike last fight as the
people of the state await the outcome of another legal battle.
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