Former Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has described the administration of his successor, Nyesom Wike, as an embarrassment to all lovers of democracy.
He also described the Justice George Omereji Commission of Inquiry, set up by Wike to probe his administration as “a shambolic inquisition panel”.
A statement by Amaechi’s Media Office on Saturday reads:
“As we expected, the Justice G. O. Omereji Commission of Inquiry set up by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, supposedly to probe the immediate past Governor of the State, Rt. Hon. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi did not disappoint. The panel lived up to expectations as a shambolic inquisition panel that was set up to indict Amaechi.
“Crudely, without any sense of finesse or attempt to disguise its mission to ‘hack down Amaechi’, the Omereji panel did the bidding of its paymaster. As we earlier warned, it turned out to be a comedy, a circus show to grab media headlines with bogus, phantom and fabricated claims of corrupt practices against former governor Amaechi and officials of his administration. It achieved nothing beyond political excitements, entertainment and theatrics.
“From the Chairman, to the way the panel conducted its ‘probe’ activities, it was obvious even to the blind that the Wike panel was on a mission to indict Amaechi. Video from the public hearing of the panel that has gone viral on the internet clearly shows the world the crude inquisition Wike conducted against Amaechi.
“At every point during the public hearing, Justice Omereji clearly showed his bias and his determination to indict Amaechi and officials of his administration. Most times, the panel chairman simply concluded that they are corrupt, even before all the facts are made known to the panel, even before all sides have been heard. On one occasion, Omereji said he wished the panel had the powers of a court so he could lock up, perhaps for life, these so called corrupt officials.
“Witnesses invited by the panel were coerced, directed, ordered and told in clear terms, sometimes with written notes from the commission staff, what not to say and what to say. The chairman of the panel prevented counsel to those invited, from asking relevant questions that are likely to deviate and detract from their pre-determined agenda and conclusion. Lawyers and witnesses invited by the panel were constantly intimidated, harassed and bullied. Witnesses were constantly bullied to toe the line of the commission’s pre-determined agenda and conclusion. The panel chairman was ordering witnesses not to answer questions that would expose the commission’s bias to indict Amaechi.
“Indeed, the Wike panel was an inquisition against Amaechi. Wike should go to court if he has any case of alleged corrupt activities against Amaechi. His panel is not and can never be a law court.
“Wike’s regular childish tantrums, theatrics, comedy and drama of screaming huge bogus and phantom figures of missing or stolen or misappropriated billions of naira by the Amaechi administration have become a silly and sickening distraction. Mr. Wike, since you do not know and none of your coterie of court-jesters is bold enough to tell you, we will tell you; you sound like a broken record. Our polity can certainly do without this madness.
RT. HON. CHIBUIKE ROTIMI AMAECHI MEDIA OFFICE
October 10, 2015
