Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to the suspended Rivers State governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has refuted allegations that he was involved in the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex on October 29, 2023.
This is as he said that he has instructed his lawyers to initiate a criminal libel suit against the immediate-past Head of Service of the State, Dr. George Nwaeke, for claiming that he and Fubara had a hand in the burning of the Assembly Complex.
Ehie, who is also a former Speaker of a faction of the State House of Assembly loyal to the suspended governor, spoke on Sunday evening during a live television programme, monitored in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
He said: “It is very important to clarify that I was not, I had no hand and was not part of the burning down of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“Like everyone else, I woke up in the early morning of 30th of October 2023 to hear of the burning down of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“I will not join issues completely with Mr George Nwaeke because I have already instructed my lawyers to file an issue of criminal libel against George Nwaeke and I hope he is very prepared to substantiate his claims and his allegations.”
Ehie said the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, should rather be questioned about the fire in the State Assembly complex in October 2023, alleging that the fire started on an evening shortly after security officials allowed the speaker’s convoy into the complex.
The Chief of Staff to the suspended governor said Nwaeke has yielded to political enemies “to satisfy his hunger for emergency riches”.
Ehie said the outcry by Nwaeke’s wife on the sudden disappearance of her husband over the weekend told the story of a man who “betrayed his conscience” and his family “to own the world”.
He showed WhatsApp messages of Nwaeke soliciting financial assistance shortly after his resignation as head of service just last week.
The former factional speaker said: “George is not a contented man,” arguing that the former Head of Service is not speaking from his right frame of mind.
Ehie also said Nwaeke did not wield any particular or influential role in the governance of Rivers State.
The chief of staff also refuted claims of Nwaeke’s close relationship with Governor Fubara, saying the former head of service didn’t have private meetings with the suspended governor. He challenged Nwaeke to mention the day and time he visited Fubara without security clearance.
Ehie said: “George Nwaeke has never, he is not even in the protocol list of those who can have uninterrupted access to the governor.
“The records are in the Government House. The security clearance of the Government House, which I superintend or supervise, is with the DSS.
“I challenge George Nwaeke to mention from the 29th of October 2023, like he claimed, to the other day when he visited the Government House, either at odd hours without prior clearance from the DSS, to say that he discussed with the governor. Let him show the record. There is none.”
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