Wike Commences Reconciliation Process, Drops Murder Charges Against Ojukaye Amachree

The Rivers State Government may have begun a reconciliation process in the state as murder charges against the factional Chairman of All Progressives Congress in the state, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, were dropped by the state government.

A presiding judge of a Port-Harcourt High Court, Justice Joy Akpughunum, struck out the murder charges against Ojukaye Flag-Amachree at the court’s sitting on Tuesday following a request by prosecuting counsel in the case on behalf of Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Zaccheaus Adangor, that he wants to discontinue the case, which the court granted.

Speaking in an interview with pressmen after the sitting, the prosecuting counsel, Godwin Obla, SAN, said that the Rivers State government had forgiven Mr. Ojukaye Flag-Amachree and so dropped the charges against him.

He said: “We drew the court’s attention to the fact that the Honourable Attorney-General of Rivers State pursuant to the powers conferred on him in Section 211 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended has filed a nolle prosequi in respect of this matter. The Attorney-General of the State decided that he wants to discontinue the matter and we have at the consequence of that nolle prosequi moved the court to strike out the charges against the defendant”.

On his part, counsel to Flag-Amachree, Barister Emenike Ebete, said that his client has no case to answer with the latest development.

It will be recalled that the governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, had in a statewide broadcast appealed to members of opposition political parties in the state to join hands with him to move Rivers State forward.

He made the statewide broadcast after the Supreme Court had struck out the appeals by the All Progressives Congress on the elections in Rivers State.

Wike had said: “For me, the collective interest of the people of Rivers State is the reason I am in politics. When you gave me the mandate about four years ago, I committed myself to be the governor for all the people of Rivers State and stayed true to that commitment.

“Today, I commit myself to be the governor for all the people of Rivers State for the next four years. Accordingly, we shall form an all-inclusive government to advance the collective interest of all our people irrespective of party, ethnic or religious affiliations.

“We salute the opposition for their courage to fight within the confines of the law to the end. Now that the legal battle is over, the task of building the state must take precedence over all other considerations.

“Although, the present politics of acrimony and bitterness may have strayed from the noble path of the past, I still believe that we shall be better off standing and working together for our state and our people.

“I, therefore, appeal to the APC and the Minister of Transportation to join hands with us to move our dear state forward. We cannot as leaders continue to remain divided and expect the government to deliver on its responsibilities to our people. Let us from henceforth seek the common ground instead of allowing our differences to be exploited to retard our march to progress.

“Accordingly, I hereby direct the Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to review all pending criminal proceedings filed against any person by the state and directly related to political activities prior to the 2019 general elections and make appropriate recommendations to me for necessary action to promote reconciliation among us”.

It will also be recalled that the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State recently said that it would work with the governor of the state, Chief Nyesom Wike, for the overall interest of the people of Rivers State.

The Senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Andrew Uchendu, had said in a press conference in Port-Harcourt held on behalf of elected and appointed members of the party that they are prepared to make necessary sacrifice for the return of peace in the state.

Uchendu said: “We want to allow Governor Wike to discharge his constitutional responsibilities, primary roles of the government as provided in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide security for lives and property in the State. We are saying we will join in that boat but only one captain will be piloting the boat and that captain is Governor Wike. We will only help him to take the boat to the shore”.

Flag-Amachree, a former Council Chairman in Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, had been standing trial for alleged murder of some persons in his local government area during the 2015 general elections.