…Gov Wike Fights Back Citing Court Perpetual Injuction Judgement
DOM ZIMEGAPI
There is palpable fear in Rivers state especially among the financial institutions used in running the present Government under Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. Already, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Emma Aguma had responded to the inquiry via a Letter to Economic and Finance Crime Commission-EFCC where he reminded the Ombudsman financial investigative agency that the Government of Dr. Peter Odili few years back obtained a Court judgment that declared that EFCC has no business investigating the financial records of a state Government as that functions is constitutional the responsibility of State House of Assembly and that EFCC had not vacated that Judgment to date.
Reacting over the freezing of Accounts of two Peoples Democratic Party PDP controlled states of Akwa Ibom and Benue states, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike thus declared that the freezing of the accounts of Governments of Benue and Akwa Ibom States by the APC Federal Government through the EFCC is the worst coup since the return to democracy. The most worried Rivers state Governor stated that there is no worse form of impunity than attempting to cripple a tier of government simply because the APC Federal Government plans to attain unconstitutional political mileage.
He told his audience in Government House Port Harcourt on Thursday while speaking on burning national issues as he said that the ultimate target of the APC Federal Government is Rivers State, where they have already detailed the EFCC to carry out very unconstitutional activities. In his own words “There is no worse impunity than for the EFCC to shutdown a tier of government through the freezing of the accounts of two State Governments. An agency of federal government has frozen the accounts of Akwa Ibom and Benue State Governments. This is the worst coup against the constitution and the law-abiding people of those states.
“But the target is not Benue or Akwa Ibom States. The real target is Rivers State. The EFCC as a federal agency has no business with State Funds. That is the responsibility of the State House of Assembly “.
Speaking further he said that Rivers State Government under Former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili got a court judgment that the EFCC has no constitutional power to investigate state funds, pointing out that the EFCC is yet to vacate that order at a superior court.
Governor Wike noted that the APC Federal Government has continued to use the EFCC for illegal actions in Rivers State, despite the Attorney General of Rivers State writing to the EFCC and attaching the said judgment against the Federal Agency.
It is visibly admitted that twice Governor Wike had suspended his Commissioner For Finance Dr. Fred Kpakol over undisclosed reasons and twice had him recalled to duty. Elsewhere his serving Commissioners are all crying for lack of funds in carrying out their statutory responsibilities a situation that had stifled most public utility jobs like the lull in Agricultural development in Rivers state.