The Temple of Justice Has Been Desecrated, Says Amaechi

                                        

Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, has described the April 15 verdict delivered by Justice Ishaq Bello of the Abuja High Court declaring Mr. Felix Obuah and Mr. Ibibia Walter as duly elected chairman and secretary, respectively, of the state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party as a desecration of the temple of justice.

 This came as the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, who is widely believed to be the sponsor of the court action, declared that he had no personal problems with Amaechi. And president of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Abdulwaheed Umar, described the governor as a pillar of democracy, saying Nigerians are watching his ordeal. Amaechi spoke Saturday in Port Harcourt while addressing a massive crowd of supporters from across Rivers State who staged a solidarity march to Government House following the Abuja court ruling.

 Bello had ruled on Monday that the Obuah faction of PDP in the state, backed by Wike, should be sworn in as a replacement for the serving state executive committee of PDP chaired by Chief Godspower Ake. The judge held that Obuah and Walter were the duly elected candidates at the state congress of PDP held on March 17 last year.

While the Ake committee was loyal to Amaechi, the Obuah committee is believed to be sponsored by Wike, Amaechi’s erstwhile ally who is now widely suspected to be used by President Goodluck Jonathan to get even with the Rivers State governor. But Amaechi dismissed what he called an attempt to use the court against him as a defilement of the country’s justice system.

Represented by his deputy, Mr. Tele Ikuru, Amaechi declared before the crowd of supporters Saturday, “I think as a nation one area we should not allow mud to go into is the judiciary. As a nation, one area we should not allow to become a thing of play is the judiciary. The temple of justice has been desecrated.