November 21, 2024
By Idris Buba
The immediate past Governor of Rivers State and minister of the federal capital territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike and his allies did not honour their invitations to appear before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the arson, killings and wanton destruction of property in some local government headquarters in the aftermath of the October 5, local council election in Rivers state.
The Justice Ibiwengi Minakiri, led seven-man panel had summoned Nysome Wike, through courier service and newspaper advertorial signed by its chairman to appear before it on Tuesday, November 19, 2024.
Others who have also shunned their summons alongside Wike, were former local government chairmen of Ikwerre, Obio/Akpor, Ahoada West and Eleme, but they neither showed nor send any representation.
At the end of the commission sittings of November 19, 2024, Justice Minakiri disclosed that the FCT did not honour the invitation, saying the day was solely reserved for him to appear to clarify some grey areas.
In her words, Minakiri stated “Tuesday’s sitting was actually for the Governor of Rivers State to appear before this commission to straighten some points that we needed to know.
“That is just the only reason we are sitting, otherwise our sitting would have ended Monday. But we had waited hoping that he would be here.
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“So Tuesday will mark the last day we are sitting. As we rise, it brings us to the end of the sitting of this commission except there is a direction from His Excellency to do otherwise as permitted by the law under which we are operating.”
Justice Minakiri who expressed dismay on their absence at the panel said “You can see from the way the hall is looking there is actually no strange face here. There is nobody here. So in the absence of all that, we made publications inviting people we want to hear from alongside His Excellency Nyesom Wike, but I have noticed that there’s nobody here. So that brings us to the end of the sitting”.
She however said the panel will go ahead to submit its report to the Governor, Siminalayi Fubara despite the refusal of some of the invitees to appear before it, including the FCT Minister.
She however, appreciated everyone who responded to the investigation, saying “we have those that just came in today and to tell you that you have made our job easy for us.
