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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has vowed not to support moves by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to hijack the leadership of the 10th National Assembly from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He also criticised the President of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau, and senior lawyer, Femi Falana, for their calls for the release of three legal representatives of the APC arrested in the state.
Results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that in the Senate, 98 out of 109 seats have been declared, while 325 out of 360 seats have been declared for the House of Representatives.
The APC won majority in the Senate with 57 seats while the PDP got 29 seats, Labour Party (LP) got six seats, NNPP and SDP, two seats each, while APGA and YPP have one each. With 57 seats in the upper chamber, the APC has formed the majority, though it has yet to achieve that in the lower House as a party requires 180 seats to form majority in the House.
The opposition PDP is, however, reportedly tinkering with idea of an alliance with LP, NNPP, APGA SDP and YPP to hijack the leadership of the National Assembly.
Wike who spoke during a media chat, yesterday, in his private residence in Rumueprikom, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, said it would be a distraction for the new president from APC to have opposition produce the Senate President or Speaker, House of Representatives.
The Rivers governor said if such plan is allowed, it would threaten cohesion between the executive and legislative arms of the government. He said elected members of the National Assembly from the state would not support any plot by PDP to produce the Senate president.
On the arrested APC lawyers, Governor Wike said police should be allowed to carry out their investigation with interference from any quarters.
The three lawyers were reportedly arrested on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at a hotel in the state, where they were said to be working on a petition for candidates of the APC in the March 18 governorship and House of Assembly elections.
The NBA president had condemned the arrest while Falana appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, to order the release of the lawyers.
Wike said: “There is nothing wrong if you have intelligence that people are producing INEC documents in a hotel, and in the police arresting them. What we expected is for the police to investigate; were they really printing INEC documents or not, and not for people to say ‘they went and arrested lawyers that were preparing for election petitions.’ Does it mean because you say lawyers perpetrated it, therefore, they cannot be arrested? Of course, I don’t take Femi Falana seriously. NBA president issued a statement that the lawyers must be released. It was so surprising.
“Why not say, ‘Police, if you say you arrested lawyers believing that you have intelligence on this, we’re giving you within 24 hours to make sure they are charged to court or you come out with a report?”
Wike cautioned NBA not to think that it would use Rivers State to gain popularity with the bad leadership of its president.
