The Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has condemned the attack on the Abuja and Port Harcourt homes of a Supreme Court judge, Justice Mary Odili, which he described as a serious desecration of a country’s institution.
Diri stated this during his maiden statewide broadcast in Yenagoa, the state capital.
The Governor also thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for not interfering with the judgement of the Supreme Court.
He further thanked his predecessors for their efforts in building the state over the years.
Meanwhile, National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has exonerated himself of complicity in the attack on the residence of Dr Peter Odili whose wife, Mary had chaired a Supreme Court panel of five Justices that nullified the party’s governorship electoral victory in Bayelsa state.
Chief Press Secretary to the APC national chairman, Mr Simon Ebegbulem in a statement yesterday in Abuja said the attempt by the Rivers State Government under Gov. Nyesom Wike to, therefore, malign Oshiomhole is an assault on his reputation
He said; “The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has read with utter disgust a statement by the Rivers State government that he and Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, ‘sponsored thugs’ to attack the residence of former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili. “According to the malicious statement signed by the Rivers state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Paulinus Nsirim, the “attacks” were made because Justice Mary Odili was a member of the Supreme Court panel that gave a unanimous verdict against the APC-governor-elect in Bayelsa State, David Lyon”.
According to Ebegbulem, “this reckless defamation of the character of Oshiomhole is unbecoming of a state government that is supposed to operate under the rule of law including fairness and justice to all”. “The statement is an egregious assault on the reputation that has taken Oshiomhole a lifetime to build. “For clarity, Oshiomhole was not in any way involved in the action that took place at the residence of Dr Odili, a gentleman for whom Oshiomhole has tremendous respect as a friend of many years despite political differences.
“As a matter of principle, Oshiomhole condemns any harassment, Hon. Justice Mary Odili had suffered for a judgment she gave within her powers as a judicial officer. Oshiomhole as a one-time beneficiary of judicial redress of injustice always holds the judiciary in the highest esteem and the obedience of court orders. “Dissatisfied as a party, the APC under Oshiomhole’s leadership has returned to the Supreme Court seeking the review of the judgment. That is the democratic culture to which Oshiomhole subscribes.
“It would be expected that it is the police that should give an account of what happened at the residence of Dr Odili based on investigation and not the Rivers State government in Port Harcourt. “The unsubstantiated allegation by the Rivers State government is, therefore, an insult on the APC National Chairman. It is an indecent thing for a state government to do in the circumstance.
“We hereby call on the Rivers State Government to toe the path of decency and withdraw the defamatory statement with due apologies”, he demanded. The residence of the Odilis in the Maitama District of Abuja was on Tuesday besieged by a group of protesters under the aegis of Bayelsa APC Youth Vanguard for real change in the aftermath of the February 13 apex court judgment sacking APC’s David Lyon as then Governor-elect of the state.
