Gov. Wike
The Rivers State governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has come under attack as a coalition of civil society organisations in the state, yesterday, condemned his alleged interference in the arrest of the undisclosed judge of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.
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The groups, Alliance for Transparency and Good
Governance, ATGG, Vanguard for Justice, Equity and
Strategy, VJES, and Rivers Pathfinders, said the show of
strength culminating in the attack of Department of State
Services, DSS, operatives by Governor Wike was an act of
political rascality.
Speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt, the coordinator of
ATGG, Erasmus Nwankpa, expressed dismay that the
governor of a state would brazenly obstruct the
constitutional powers of the DSS, to arrest an accused
person.
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Reacting to the allegation, the Rivers State Commissioner
for Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tam-
George, described the comments by the three groups as a
sad irony.
Tam-George wandered why a group would contest the
position of the governor, adding that the civil society
groups were members of the All Progressives Congress,
APC.
He said: “The protesting groups are APC members in
disguise. It is a sad irony. How could any group protest
against Governor Wike’s principled insistence on the
supremacy of the law?
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“Throughout this debate, every reasonable individual or
organisation, including the NBA, the African Bar
Association, senior advocates of Nigeria, all agree that the
only sustainable way to fight corruption is through
institutional reforms, and respect for due process.
“You can’t fight corruption with a cowboy mentality, using
midnight melodrama and lawlessness.”
Also, coordinator of VJES, Jerome Green, who regretted
the attitude of Wike in trying to stop the arrest of a judge of
a Federal High Court in the state, said: “I still could not
believe that Wike who is a lawyer and should know the law
relating to who has the power to arrest, actually went out
by 1a.m., as reported, just to protect a judge from being
arrested.
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“What then will be the interest of Governor Wike to secure
and frustrate the lawful duty of the state security service,”
Jarome queried.
Also, Mr. Abiye Sokari-George of Rivers Pathfinders,
described what happened in the state as a show of
gangsterism, stressing that Wike has reduced governance
and the office of the Governor of the state.
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