The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has described the bribery allegation against the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and his counterpart from Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonaya Onu as a distraction.
Recall that two Supreme Court Justices recently arrested by security agencies, Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Inyang Okoro had accused both Amaechi and Onu of attempting to bribe them at separate intervals.
Following the allegation the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sack both Ministers.
Reacting to the call, the Chairman of APC in the state, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, in a statement urged Buhari to disregard the call for Amaechi and Onu’s sack, stressing that it was frivolous and mischievous.
According to 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 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’s 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.”
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