Wike attacks Buhari of double standard

Governor, Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, on Thursday, November 11, called for the suspension, resignation or termination of appointments of public office holders who have scores to settle with the law. Governor Wike says public office holders whose names have been smeared in corruption cases must step aside, till their innocence is proven.

Wike said those officers whose innocence are still doubt must step aside till they have been proven worthy of the offices they occupy. National Daily reports that the governor made the assertion, as he accused the Federal Government of being bias in its ongoing anti-graft war. Speaking at the 2016 annual conference of the chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Nigerian Branch, in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Wike wondered why the government forced some public officers accused of corruption to step aside pending the conclusion of their cases while others similarly accused of corruption were allowed to continue with their jobs.

Wike also alleged that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-graft war has no regard for the rule of law. He said: “We think the Federal Government must hold every public officer and everyone of us to the same standards of accountability. “It smacks of double standard for the Federal Government to force some public officers accused of corruption to step aside pending the conclusion of their cases, while keeping other public officers similarly accused in their public posts simply because they happen to be top members of the ruling party. Such inequities strike at the very essence of our moral values and rubbish the demand for character and personal integrity in public service.