Politics
Damn You! Wike Trashes EFCC Invitation To Aides
Alleges Media Trial, Says Stance Backed By Law
By GWG Staff
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has dismissed what he Sunday described as a fresh wave of media trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the purported withdrawal of N118 billion cash from its accounts between 2015 and 2018.
His assertion was in response to what it claimed as assertions by the EFCC in The Nation Newspaper where it claimed that the government had failed to make its officials available for interrogation over the alleged cash withdrawal.
Sticking to its guns that the government would not make them available, the state commissioner for information, Paulinus Nsirim in a statement said the EFCC’s demand was against the ruling of a court that barred the commission from investigating its finances.
“We have repeatedly said that the State Government will not release its officials to the EFCC for investigations until the commission approaches the Court to set aside SUBSISTING ORDERS OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION GRANTED BY VARIOUS COURTS OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION RESTRAINING THE EFCC FROM INVESTIGATING OR INQUIRING INTO THE FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT INCLUDING ITS MINISTRIES, DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no official of the Rivers State Government would appear before the EFCC until the subsisting judgments in favour of the Rivers State Government are set aside on appeal.
“IN VIEW OF THESE SUBSISTING JUDGMENTS, IT WOULD AMOUNT TO AN ACT OF BRAZEN ILLEGALITY FOR THE EFCC TO INSIST ON INTERROGATING ANY OFFICIAL OF THE RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no official of the Rivers State Government would appear before the EFCC until the subsisting judgments in favour of the Rivers State Government are set aside on appeal.
“Resorting to the Media can only be described as cheap blackmail and witch-hunt to turn away public attention from the development strides in the State.
“This media trial that they engage in all the time will not take the place of our extant laws no matter how hard they try.
“The EFCC should stop playing to the gallery and pursue its war against corruption within the ambits of the law.
“Rivers State Government is committed to the Rule of Law and cannot be intimidated by the EFCC.
“Those who want to use the EFCC to promote their political agenda in the State will fail because we know their antics.
“Targeting Rivers State for this occasional media trial should be seen by the public for what it is, “political witch-hunt.”
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