The Rivers state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says the call by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that President Muhammadu Buhari should suspend two ministers accused of corruption as baseless, Premium Times reports.
The PDP had in a statement told Buhari to emulate the decision of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to suspend seven judges arrested for corruption.
They urged Buhari to follow suit by suspending Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu.
But in a statement signed by the APC chairman in Rivers, Davies Ikanya, the party said the allegations against both men was diversionary.
“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,” the APC said.
“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,” the party said.
The statement added, “Again, we stand by our earlier statement on the ignominious roles of the governors of Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta States, and the Senate Minority leader in the pervasion of the course of justice at the apex court and the subsequent failed attempt to pin the Justices’ travails on Amaechi.
“In the days ahead, more details will continue to come out. For instance, it is already in the open that Governor Nyesom Wike held a secret meeting in a hotel in Owerri, Imo State with one of the Supreme Court Justices that was arrested by the Directorate of State Services (DSS). The agenda of that meeting was for the apex court Justice to assist Wike to get a favourable judgment and pervert the course of justice in the Rivers State governorship election matter that was then about going to the apex court,” the party said.
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
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