Full address of Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to nerwsmen on Friday over his political battle with Dr. Uche Oga
Governor Ikpeazu (Pictured middle)
Gentlemen of the press, I want to thank you for having me this morning. I want to re-assure the public, especially Ndi Abia and Nigerians that we are ok.
We had temporary setback which you people are well aware of when somebody who did not run an election, surreptitiously planned to ambush the mandate which Abia people freely gave on the 11th and 25th of April last year.
Gentlemen of the press, I want to thank you for having me this morning. I want to re-assure the public, especially Ndi Abia and Nigerians that we are ok.
We had temporary setback which you people are well aware of when somebody who did not run an election, surreptitiously planned to ambush the mandate which Abia people freely gave on the 11th and 25th of April last year.
Somebody who never campaigned, somebody that was never tested by the Abia public, his acceptability was not tried, and he surreptitiously arranged and got judgment and then, that judgment, the role order for that judgment was released before the details of the judgment itself which is also proceduraly wrong in law, all geared towards railroading him into Government House, Umuahia against the will and mandate of the people.
The tenets of democracy is very clear and that the will of the people is sacrosanct and the aim of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral act is to protect the sacred will of the people such that you are required to run an election, pass that election, the election will be tried through the tribunals up to the Supreme Court and then, the verdict will eventually affirm the will of the people.
All these, as you are aware, we have all gone through. Since the past one year we have been through this process and at this hour, somebody decided to bring in something that is strange to the law, and we are baffled by the urgency and the desperation to bounce into Government House.
The tenets of democracy is very clear and that the will of the people is sacrosanct and the aim of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral act is to protect the sacred will of the people such that you are required to run an election, pass that election, the election will be tried through the tribunals up to the Supreme Court and then, the verdict will eventually affirm the will of the people.
All these, as you are aware, we have all gone through. Since the past one year we have been through this process and at this hour, somebody decided to bring in something that is strange to the law, and we are baffled by the urgency and the desperation to bounce into Government House.
When we put it side by side with the various criminal charges which we are aware bothering on all kinds of things which are subsisting in all forum and being discussed in Lagos, at least 12 criminal charges in different courts in Lagos and elsewhere, against this same person, it becomes a little bit clearer why the desperation in the first place, probably to get a veil immunity to run away from the certainty of court decisions for or against him as it would.
What is on trial is our democracy. It is not about me as a person. It is about the will of the people of Abia state.
Why it is very difficult for Abia people to accept is that everybody knows very well that I have been working for government in this environment. I did not come from elsewhere and my last duty post which was ASEPA (Abia State Environmental Sanitation Authority) Aba was such a job that everybody saw, even on the streets while I was doing it.
What is on trial is our democracy. It is not about me as a person. It is about the will of the people of Abia state.
Why it is very difficult for Abia people to accept is that everybody knows very well that I have been working for government in this environment. I did not come from elsewhere and my last duty post which was ASEPA (Abia State Environmental Sanitation Authority) Aba was such a job that everybody saw, even on the streets while I was doing it.
So for so, for somebody to come and say that I have problems with my tax, to Abia people, it is strange because, they know where I was working and they know that the government was paying me.
And Board of Internal Revenue, whose duty it is to assess and levy tax had come out with an affidavit to say, “Yes, these documents were issued by us”.
So if there are questions to be asked, the BIR are the people to answer the question.
To that extent, I want to assure you that we are resolute in our determination to defend the mandate which was freely given to us by Abia people.
There is a court order restraining the Chief Judge or any legal officer anywhere in Nigeria from swearing in somebody and there is no doubt about who is in charge and who is governor because, you people witnessed the day we were sworn. You people also witnessed when we took the oath of allegiance and no other person has taken that oath on behalf of the position of Governor of Abia State.
And Board of Internal Revenue, whose duty it is to assess and levy tax had come out with an affidavit to say, “Yes, these documents were issued by us”.
So if there are questions to be asked, the BIR are the people to answer the question.
To that extent, I want to assure you that we are resolute in our determination to defend the mandate which was freely given to us by Abia people.
There is a court order restraining the Chief Judge or any legal officer anywhere in Nigeria from swearing in somebody and there is no doubt about who is in charge and who is governor because, you people witnessed the day we were sworn. You people also witnessed when we took the oath of allegiance and no other person has taken that oath on behalf of the position of Governor of Abia State.
As we speak, nobody even knows who is the deputy governorship pretender.
So, as far as we are concerned, we want call for calm, and I want to thank, especially the youths of Abia State for their decorum and good conduct since this unwarranted provocation. I want to continue to urge them to remain peaceful and law-abiding.
Today, Abia state is one of the Niger Delta states, but I say that we are perhaps the only Niger Delta state where all the federal oil pipelines remain intact.
The issue of militancy, sabotaging the economy of Nigeria has not crept into Abia State as yet and I am very proud of our young ones and I ask them to remain calm and decorous in their conduct because Abia is a peace-loving state. We are peace-loving people.
Today, Abia state is one of the Niger Delta states, but I say that we are perhaps the only Niger Delta state where all the federal oil pipelines remain intact.
The issue of militancy, sabotaging the economy of Nigeria has not crept into Abia State as yet and I am very proud of our young ones and I ask them to remain calm and decorous in their conduct because Abia is a peace-loving state. We are peace-loving people.
I want to assure you that this illegality will not stand, but I will test it through the Appeal court all through the Supreme Court and if need be, let all Abians remain calm until the final verdict at the Supreme Court.
Even if it was a death sentence, I don’t think that I deserve to be executed without right of appeal and that right is undeniable, that right is fundamental, denial of that right is denial of my fundamental rights and I will resist it and I know that all well-meaning Nigerians will resist it.
I want to dissuade the rumour that is making round everywhere that some people are sponsoring this. I don’t think it is true because we understand the position of the government at the federal level against corruption and they cannot support the veil, somebody battling to wear the toga of immunity just because the person wants to run away from the certainty of justice.
Even if it was a death sentence, I don’t think that I deserve to be executed without right of appeal and that right is undeniable, that right is fundamental, denial of that right is denial of my fundamental rights and I will resist it and I know that all well-meaning Nigerians will resist it.
I want to dissuade the rumour that is making round everywhere that some people are sponsoring this. I don’t think it is true because we understand the position of the government at the federal level against corruption and they cannot support the veil, somebody battling to wear the toga of immunity just because the person wants to run away from the certainty of justice.
I don’t think that will be the part the federal government would like to do. It is antithetical to the belief and framework of the present administration.
I want you to dissuade your mind from such rumours that are making the round and I also urge you to continue to project the positive sides of Abia and criticize us if we have done anything in terms of our policies.
Abia is on track and their mandate is safe.
God be with you. Thank you very much
I want you to dissuade your mind from such rumours that are making the round and I also urge you to continue to project the positive sides of Abia and criticize us if we have done anything in terms of our policies.
Abia is on track and their mandate is safe.
God be with you. Thank you very much
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