Honourable Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) and lawmaker representing Ideato North and South in the House of Representatives, has called on the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to withdraw the criminal charges filed against Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
Ugochinyere said the charges are politically motivated and amounted to a sabotage of the Rivers Presidential Peace Accord.
The lawmaker made this call at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his way to Togo for a two-day international conference on the need for political peace and stability as key to sustainable development in Africa.
Ugochinyere recounted that in line with the said peace accord, all cases that were instituted in the courts of law were directed to be withdrawn by President Bola Tinubu.
The lawmaker wondered why Governor Fubara would obey the President’s politically difficult decisions but an appointee of the President – IGP Egbetokun – would be taking actions which seem to sabotage the entire agenda.
“The Governor of Rivers State reappointed commissioners who had resigned from his cabinet, he allowed the State House of Assembly to be sitting and he has paid them their allowances among others. These are politically difficult decisions to take even when it looked like the governor then had all the advantages yet were obeyed. So it is strange that it is an appointee of the President that is taking steps that seem to sabotage the entire process,” he said.
Ugochinyere called on the IGP to align with President Tinubu in bringing about lasting peace in Rivers State and withdraw the charges which, according to Ugochinyere, were hurriedly filed without thorough investigation as thorough investigation, according to the lawmaker, “would have revealed that Ehie had no hand in the unfortunate burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex.”
“Like the Rivers Governor has always preached, no price is too much to pay for peace in Rivers State,” said Ugochinyere, adding “the Inspector General more than any other person should be interested in peace in Rivers State and should withdraw the charges as they were contemplated when political emotions were high and now that peace is returning and government running smoothly, the charges can only disrupt the peace and not build it.”
