The war of words between the Rivers state All Progressives Congress and the state governor, Nyesom Wike, is yet to end as the party has condemned the governor’s decision to set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry that will look into the killings and violence that marred the March 19th legislative rerun election in the state.

The APC, in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Senibo Chris Finebone, said the commission of inquiry and Wike’s commiseration with the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) over the death of their member during the election, was ‘self-serving and a mere smokescreen’ intended to paint his political opponents black and divert attention from the role he (Wike) played in the violence and killings.

The statement also recalled how Wike and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had filed a suit challenging the committee set up by former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to investigate the 2015 electoral violence in the state.

The APC said “Gov. Nyesom Wike is on record for having threatened violence and death to stakeholders long before and even during the rerun elections. There is no doubt that the several threats Nyseom Wike issued to his supporters and associates gave rise to the widespread and wanton killings by the PDP and their acolytes. Therefore, where lies the enabling neutrality and moral high ground for Gov. Nyesom Wike to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate a matter in which he is the mastermind-in-chief?”

While saying that the committee was dead on arrival, the statement also said that: “Taking a look at the members of the commission, the APC would like to advise Gov. Wike to look for a more honest means of compensating his supporters and their relations rather than sending them on a journey to nowhere or one that will suffer a still-birth” the party declared.”

On the dead NYSC member, Wike’s commiseration with the NYSC and increase in allowance, the APC statement said that ‘it is shocking that after Gov Wike created the atmosphere that led to the death of late Okonta Samuel, the governor has since embarked on shameless actions meant to deceive Corp members and other Nigerians.’

“As an INEC ad-hoc staff, late Samuel Okonta and his colleagues were asked by Nyesom Wike to write their will because they might be killed during the rerun elections. After Wike’s threat materialised, it was shocking to see the governor rush to sign the condolence register of late Samuel Okonta. By signing the condolence register, the APC believes that Gov. Wike actually countersigned the will written by late Okonta on the advice of the governor.”

“Not done with his familiar ego trip in political opportunism, Gov. Wike announced that the Rivers State Government will immortalise the dead Corp member. However, the APC wishes to advise Nyesom Wike that members of the NYSC and others who function as INEC ad-hoc and permanent staff would prefer to remain alive than to be sent to their early graves and later immortalised by Nyesom Wike and his government. No amount of monetary inducements and mundane accolades is worth the death of anyone under any circumstances.”

Mazi Emeka