The Rivers State Government has described the criticism of the Supreme Court’s verdict affirming the victory of Governor Nyesome Wike as a dangerous rhetoric and threat to democracy.
The government alleged that the comments emanating from the All Progressives Congress (APC) were aimed at distracting the governor.
Commissioner for Information and Communications in the state, Dr. Austin Tam-George who spoke with newsmen in Lagos said the APC had launched a campaign of calumny against the Supreme Court justices after the verdict.
He said, “The entire integrity of the judicial process has been called to question by the APC. What we expected was that there would be recognition on the part of all political parties, not just the PDP or the APC, of the fact that we are trying to evolve a constitutional democracy and the central fundamental of that dispensation would be respect for the rule of law”.
The commissioner said Governor Wike had continually affirmed his faith in the judicial process even when he lost at the Tribunal and Court of Appeal.
Rather than displaying the same “large-heartedness”, Tam-George said the APC had continued to castigate the judges and undermine the power of Governor Wike.
The government also questioned the rationale for continued deployment of Police Commissioners which it said undermines the security architecture of the state.
Tam-George called on Nigerians and international community to challenge Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free, fair and conclusive rerun elections coming up in the state next month.
He said, “This absolutist politics of the APC is not only a direct threat to democracy in Nigeria, but seems to be a manifesto for the open politicization of the security forces of the country.
“Experts have warned that the constant deployment and redeployment of police commissioners and officers is undermining the security architecture in many states, including Rivers State.
“The APC seems to be animated not by the beneficent purposes of political power, but by the depredations that power could inflict on the party’s opponents.
“But the APC is not working alone. The party is supported by a gaggle of surrogate lawyers, revisionist intellectuals, and even some sections of the media, to suppress competing visions on how Nigeria should develop as a country.”
