By Jimitota Onoyume

PORT HARCOURT—Rivers State Commissioner for Housing, Mr Emma Okah, has lashed out at former president of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, for describing the decision of Rivers State government to restore the privileges and entitlements of deposed Governor Celestine Omehia as useless and capable of overheating the polity.

*Agbakoba

Okah, who expressed shock that Agbakoba kept mute while the state judiciary complex was shut down for close to one year by striking workers due to the alleged insensitivity of the former administration, noted that the action of the state government to restore the privileges and rights of former Governor Omehia  was purely a political concession to further unite the state and promote peace.

He said it was a move by the state government to end unnecessary political acrimony and bitterness, adding that a state government had powers to confer advantages on anyone without reference to any court judgement.

He said: “This is purely a political concession, far away from the courts. There must be an end to acrimony and bitterness or politics of hate.

‘’As a people, we should encourage harmony, peace and consensus building so that we can put the agony of yesterday behind us and together, move the state to greater heights. In all jurisdictions, litigants can still seek peace outside the court room or even after judgement and such agreements calm frayed nerves and heal wounds better and faster.”

Okah recalled that Nigeria extended similar gesture to Chief Ernest Shonekan who headed an Interim Government declared illegal by the court, stressing also that in Ekiti State, Governor Ayo Fayose gave similar recognition to Chief Segun Oni whom the court said was not a governor in the eyes of the law.

“Many thought that Chief Agbakoba would have risen to the occasion but the plight and agony of detainees, lawyers, judges, litigants and judicial stakeholders, arising from the closure of courts could, not move him to strongly condemn the evils that Amaechi inflicted on the judiciary,” he added.