Peterside issues Wike 48-hour ultimatum to release Dagogo

• As federal lawmaker spends three days in detention
• Wike’s commandant attempted shooting Dagogo, aide alleges

Former member of House of Representatives, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Governor Nyesom Wike to release Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant, Farah Dagogo, from detention.

He issued the ultimatum just as the Special Assistant on Media to Dagogo, Ibrahim Lawal, alleged that Wike ‘s Camp Commandant , Efeturi Irikefe, attempted shooting Farah Dagogo inside the vehicle conveying him to their destination after he was picked by the police at the party’s state secretariat on April 28.

Lawal raised the alarm in a statement made available to newsmen, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, stating that Dagogo’s life is still in serious danger and that Wike and his aides should be held responsible if anything happened to the member representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Dagogo was arrested while undergoing screening for the 2023 guber race in the state, a day after Wike declared him wanted for allegedly sponsoring cultists to disrupt screening activities at the party secretariat.

He was later arraigned in a Port Harcourt Magistrates’ Court on two count charges of conspiracy to commit felony and to cause breach of peace and instigate members of secret cult to disrupt the screening process, an allegation Dagogo has since denied through his media aide.

BUT Peterside, in a statement at the weekend, said Dagogo’s arrest had no locus standi in any known Nigerian law or statute, including the Miscellaneous Offences Act, and described Wike as a neo-fascist and dictator desperate to gag free speech and democratic rights of Rivers citizens.

He challenged the governor to justify his reasons for the arrest of the lawmaker other than his quest to remain a political alpha and omega, who would not tolerate any fair contest.

SPECIAL Assistant to Wike on media, Kelvin  Ebiri,  could  not  be reached  for comments  but a statement  issued  at the  weekend  by him stated that while political actors had the right to express their discontent through various lawful channels, engaging in any form of violent protests, particularly usage of cultists  to undermine the rule of law will never be condoned by the state government.