The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), has
reacted to the letter written by ex-Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi,
urging the Senate President, Bukola Saraki to disregard the Rivers State
Government’s White Paper on the report of the Judicial Commission of
Inquiry for the investigation of his administration on the sale of
valued assets and others. PDP described the letter as illogical and one that should be disregarded.The state Chairman of the party, Felix Obuah, in a statement by his media aide, Jerry Needam, noted that Amaechi’s letter to the Senate President was an attempt to ignore the White Paper report, undermine the crusade against corruption and expose President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption as partisan and targeted at only members of the opposition and perceived enemies.
“The invitation and interrogation of the Senate Minority Leader, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, and one of the leaders of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Godswill Akpabio, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), while Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, indicted for corruption is freely going about lobbying to become a minister, is a pointer that Buhari’s fight against corruption is targeted at the opposition and perceived enemies”, it said.
The PDP said the monumental fraud discovered by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry and huge revenue lost when Amaechi was governor of Rivers State cannot be ignored.
“Amaechi has no defense to allegations of fraud against him as contained in the Government White Paper. He was invited, and he failed to appear before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry,” it added.
The statement drew the attention of the Senate President, to the combined provisions of Sections 66, (1) (h) and 147 (5) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which unambiguously disqualifies Amaechi from being a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“If in doubt, the PDP counsels Amaechi to seek interpretation of the relevant sections of the Constitution from his lawyers.
“The combined effect of sections 66 (1) (h) and 147 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended and read together disqualifies Amaechi from becoming a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Therefore, Amaechi’s letter to the Senate President should be disregarded. It lacks merit and contradicts the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended.
“The letter to the Senate President further makes mockery of Amaechi and amounts to desperation and glorification of corruption,” the PDP added.
It would be recalled that the former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, had written to Senate President Bukola Saraki, asking him not to take action on the White Paper issued by Governor Nyesom Wike against him and his administration, as well as the petition sent to the Senate by Livingstone Wechie accusing him of corruption.
Amaechi, a ministerial nominee from Rivers State, has been having a running battle with the Rivers State Government and its lawmakers, who are opposed to his nomination by President Muhamadu Buhari.
They want Amaechi dropped, accusing him of allowing the state to lose huge revenue when he was governor for eight years.
Speaking through his lawyer, Edward E. Pepple of Edward and Williams and Co, in the letter made available to newsmen, Saturday, Amaechi said the entirety of the so-called petition and white paper ran foul of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and should not be acted upon pending the hearing and determination of the suits on the matter.
Amaechi contended that the Supreme Court had made adequate pronouncements concerning the constitution of a judicial commission of enquiry and the fact that such pronouncements do not have the effect of a court verdict, and asked the Senate to take note of how the Rivers State Government was trying to subvert the law.
Quoting copiously from decided cases, the governor said: “This position of the law has been upheld and reaffirmed severally by the Supreme Court of Nigeria. In the case of DOHERTY V. BALEWA (1961-1962) NSCC (page 248) at 257, lines 35-50, the Supreme Court in a similar situation with the instant case held as follows:
“The power of the commission to impose imprisonment is clearly contrary to the provisions of Section 20, and this was not disputed by the Attorney-General. This must also apply to the power to impose a fine, which is enforceable by imprisonment.
“In these circumstances we would hold that Sections 8, 15 and 18 are invalid to the extent that they purport to empower a Commissioner to inflict a punishment of a fine or imprisonment that the Sections should be ‘read down’ accordingly.”
“Similarly, in the celebrated case in which our client was declared the elected Governor of Rivers State [AMAECHI vs. INEC & ORS (2008) 5 NWLR (PT 1080), page 227, at 306, para E-F], some political interests acting with the intention of preventing our client from pursuing his Governorship mandate which was in dispute at the time, did set up an Administrative Panel of Inquiry and purported to have indicted him, as is been repeated at the moment, the Supreme Court held that: “A Judicial Commission of Inquiry or an Administrative Panel is not the same thing as a Court of law or its equivalent. Because a Court of Law operates within a judicial hierarchy any person wrongly convicted is enabled to contest his conviction to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. This is a right granted by the Constitution of Nigeria”
“In the case of EGBUNIWE V. FGN (2010), 2 NWLR (PT 1178), page 348, at 368, para C-D, the Court held that: “The Constitution is clear as to who should perform judicial acts. And since it is the exclusive function of the judiciary to exercise judicial function, any member of the executive who interferes with those functions must be prepared to face the consequences of such interloping conduct by way of an action by a person aggrieved”
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