BREAKING: Wike, Sacked APC Chairman, Others Shun Governor Fubara’s Panel On Rivers LG Poll Crisis

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, factional Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tony Okocha, and others reportedly declined to appear before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up Governor Siminalayi Fubara to investigate the arson, killings, and destruction of property at local government secretariats following the recent local government elections in Rivers State......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>

The governor had in early October inaugurated a seven-man panel headed by Justice Ibiwengi Minakiri with a one-month mandate to probe the widespread violence that led to the burning of local government secretariats.

The panel, in its inquiries, had summoned Wike, a former Governor of the state, through courier service and newspaper advertorials signed by its chairman, to appear before it on Tuesday, November 19, 2024.

However, at the close of the sitting, the panel noted that Wike and his allies invited did not appear.

Speaking at the end of the sitting on Tuesday, Justice Minakiri disclosed that the FCT Minister did not honour the invitation, noting that the day had been reserved for him (Wike) to clarify some grey areas.

She stated, “Today’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 today, otherwise our sitting would have ended yesterday. But we had waited hoping that he would be here. We have given some.

“So today will mark the last day we are sitting. As we rise today, that 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 expressed concern that Wike, alongside other invitees, including the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the APC in the state, Chief Tony Okocha, neither appeared nor were represented by legal counsel.

She 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,” the panel’s chairman stated.

The panel chairman, however, confirmed that the commission would proceed to submit its report despite the refusal of some invitees, including the FCT Minister, to appear.

Minakiri said, “So I want to thank everyone of you that has been coming, and we have those that just came in today and to tell you that you have made our job easy for us.

“Your presence encouraged us all through our sittings. We do hope that at the end of the day, whatever comes up after this sitting will indeed be to the benefit of Rivers State, the entirety of Rivers State, and the people of Rivers State. So I want to say thank you so much for your presence.”