Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike has ordered the revocation of the Certificate of Occupancy of Novotel Hotel, Port Harcourt, one of the places where Amaechi lodges whenever he visits the state, TheCable reports.

According to the news medium, the facility which has 117 rooms is located at 3 Stadium road, Rumola, Port Harcourt.

Former commissioner of information in the state, Austin Tam-Geroge has said Wike’s action could be described as a political move.

“The revocation of the certificate of occupancy of Novotel Hotel in Port Harcourt over the weekend by Governor Nyesom Wike disappoints and saddens me,” he wrote.

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“If a business premises is suspected or established to be a crime scene, the police, acting on a court order, could move in to take control.

“It is extraordinary for a state government to revoke the certificate of occupancy of a business, simply because opposition politicians lodged there.

“Politicians in the state might think this is part of politics.”

However, in a statement on Wednesday, Simeon Nwakaudu, spokesman of the governor, said the hotel was used to manipulate the non-elective local government congress of the All progressives Congress (APC), which held on Saturday.

He said, “Novotel is not above the law. Therefore, it must face the consequences of its illegal actions”.

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“Dr Tam-George is aware that Governor Wike never plays to gallery. He is always committed to the defence of Rivers people. Tam-George is aware that Rotimi Amaechi and hundreds of security personnel used Novotel during the rerun elections,” Nwakaudu said in a statement.

“On Saturday, 30th July, 2017, Novotel lived up to its notorious reputation as a den of electoral fraudsters. Amaechi and his associates used the hotel to rig the APC local government congress. This ungodly action led to mass protests across Port Harcourt, which culminated in protests within the premises of Novotel.

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“It took the timely intervention of Governor Wike for the situation to be contained as the security personnel detailed to assist the minister of transportation rig his party’s non-elective congress almost opened fire on the protesters.

“While Governor Wike continues to build the framework for investments in the state, he will continue to insist that all businesses operate in line with the tenets of the law.”