Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has lambasted the governor of Imo State who accused the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of being behind the political crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially the moves to remove the national chairman of the ruling APC, Adams Oshiomhole.
He threatened to tell the world who Uzodinma is if he dared make such a statement again.
Speaking in an interview he granted to Rivers State Government House press corps, Wike accused Uzodinma and the APC of striving to twist the judiciary; he thus urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to caution judges against the intrigues of politicians.
Wike declared that the APC was out to destroy the Judiciary, and urged the Judiciary to protect itself from the destructive tendencies of the ruling party.
He said: “With what the APC is doing today, we may not have the Judiciary and everyone will pay the price. The party is trying to destroy the hope of the common man”.
Wike regretted that the APC and her supporters attack the Judiciary when judgments are not in their favour. He pointed at the attacks on Mary Odili in the Bayelsa State governorship matter. The governor said that the recent order by the wife of a member of the House of Representatives wherein she reaffirmed the freedom of the former Emir of Kano was hailed, even though she was the wife of a PDP member.
Wike berated Uzodinma of Imo State for alleging that the PDP was responsible for the attempted removal of Oshiomhole, saying that the allegation was baseless and untrue.
He went on: “It is unfortunate that Uzodinma will have the temerity to make that false allegation. Hope Uzodinma was an APC agent while he was in PDP. That was why APC used him as an agent to support Ali Modu Sheriff, but they failed.
“It is unfortunate that people of questionable character are in Government. Uzodinma cannot talk about the attempted removal of APC national chairman and mention the PDP. What is our business in the attempted removal of Oshiomhole?
“If Senator Uzodinma dares to make such false comments again about the PDP, we will tell the world about him.
“That he fraudulently took the mandate of PDP does not mean that PDP is weak. Hope Uzodinma lacks the capacity to discuss the PDP.”
Wike said that Nigerians must be vigilant and work towards protecting the Judiciary. “We must protect the Judiciary to do its work. But the Judiciary should protect itself. APC has destroyed the Judiciary,” he said.
Governor Wike wondered why the Judiciary should allow leaders of the APC to toss it around as has been witnessed during the party’s internal crisis.
He decried the situation where the Court of Appeal granted a stay of execution on the suspension of the APC national chairman, but the FCT High Court went ahead to declare another person the Acting National Chairman. He said only the National Executive Committee of political parties have such powers.
He said: “The Judiciary should be very careful. The Judiciary should be alert. It should not allow itself to be used. It should not allow itself to be destroyed.
“APC should not be allowed to destroy the Judiciary. Judiciary was there before APC. It was there before any political party. I cannot see the Judiciary being destroyed and keep quiet.
“I am not interested in what happens in the APC. But I am concerned with the Judiciary and its survival. “
