Mr Dave Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi State, has claimed that his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, procured and masterminded the Abuja High Court ruling that removed him from office.
The governor claimed in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Francis Nwaze, that a video showed him claiming responsibility for the court judgement.
“We have come across a video by the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike in which he was quoted as saying that he masterminded the Abuja High Court judgment on Governor David Umahi’s defection to All Progressives Congress, APC.
“Not much surprised at the comment though, we would have ignored it as one of his blubberings but it has become imperative we make a few annotations for clarity.
“Wike from the statement has taken responsibility for the pronouncement of the Federal High Court, thus requiring that he explains to Nigerians how he now calls the shots in the Nation’s Judiciary without being a Judge,” the statement alleged.
According to the statement, Governor Wike was reminded that “hence he riggled himself out of the 2015 Appeal Court ruling dismissing him as Governor of Rivers State, Governor Umahi would come out of his current legal issues stronger and unscathed while still proceeding on his presidential ambition gallantly.”
Recall that a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja had ordered the governor and his Deputy, Dr. Kelechi Igwe, to vacate their positions for abandoning the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on whose platform they were elected.
Governor Umahi had also appealed the court decision, claiming that he was still the governor of the state.
The governor urged residents of the state, as well as his supporters across the country and beyond, to remain calm and determined. “lest the likes of Wike and other political desperados score a cheap political point by the reason of their conduct at a time like this.”
