Rivers AC Exposed

Akanimo Sampson

Bureau Chief, Port Harcourt

Rivers AC Exposes How Amaechi, Prince Will Save Odili, Sekibo From Jail

THE Rivers State wing of the Action Congress (AC) yesterday cautioned former Governor of the state, Dr. Peter Odili, and former Transport Minister, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, against dragging the good name of the Chairman of the state Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Justice Kayode Eso, to the mud over their indiction by the commission.

The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, claimed in an interview with our correspondent yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that instead of Odili and Sekibo attacking Eso for doing a good job, ''they should thank their God for Governor Chibuike Amaechi, who saved them from rotting in jail for the atrocities they committed against the state''.

Acording to the AC spokesman, ''Amaechi originally wanted to set up a judicial commission of inquiry. Our state Leader, Prince Tonye Princewill was not comfortable with the move. The party moved in, persuaded stakeholders to resist the governor. His thinking was that a judicial probe panel would sentence people like Odili and Sekibo to jail. As a party, we commend the governor for abiding by the wishes of the people og the state''.

Eze spoke against the backdrop of Odili and his political associates describing the Eso panel report as waste of public funds and witch-hunting tool against them.

''The reaction of the Odili political family is very unfortunate Quote me, but not for the insistence of Princewill, our leader and support of other Rivers stake-holders who prevailed on Governor Amaechi to drop his judicial commission idea for Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the duo of Odili and Sekibo would have been imprisoned without much options with their indictment by the Eso panel'', he said.

Continuing, he added, ''the judicial commission would have had the powers to sit in judgement against the culprits but with the setting up of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that was aimed at reconciling the feuding and aggrieved people of the state, unearth the root causes, and punish the culprits accordingly the scenario would have been different by now''.

''Instead of running down the Eso panel report, one would have expected Odili and Sekibo to act as statesmen and apologised to the people of Rivers and the entire country for their reign of terror which brought the state to its knees and portrayed it in bad light. We also expect them to be courageous enough to thank Pincewill whose foresight and political wisdom led to the setting up of a reconciliation commission'', the AC chieftain said.

ENDS

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