Wike said this during a public lecture on ‘Taxing powers in a federal system’, held on Saturday to mark the 60th birthday of a lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN).

The governor, who was represented by Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor (SAN), said, “I have heard a lot of comments been made that we are fighting Federal Government; there is no desire or any intention of the Rivers state government to fight the Federal Government. But you must remember that in a federal system, the states are not house boys of the Federal Government. The principle of co-equality is fundamental to the federal arrangement; that principle leads to the principle of autonomy, autonomy leads you to physical autonomy and physical autonomy leads you to physical federalism.”

According to him, the federal or state governments are co-equal because none derives its life from the other.

Wike said, “They both derive their life from the constitution because they have co-equality and every level of government is entitled to have access to sufficient revenue so that they can carry out its own responsibility without subordinating its will to that of a superior authority. That is the fundamental aspect of fiscal federalism and until we get it, we will continue this journey of talking and talking without result. But I think that the court has a role to play; the court can lay this crisis and controversy to rest when it makes a pronouncement.”

Ahmed Raji wondered why someone who has been granted bail on numerous occassions will want to remain in the custody of a security agency.

He further stated that no further investigation has been carried out nor new charges filed since Dasuki was re-arrested in December 2015 at Kuje Prison gate.

He said: “This statement, as alluring as it sounds, is a contradiction of the events that have taken place since 2015, when charges were first preferred against Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd). It is therefore most incorrect and inaccurate to claim that Col. Dasuki prayed the Court to be kept in DSS facility. This is far from the truth. Perhaps, there is no synergy between the Counsel appearing for the government in Dasuki matters and the DSS hierarchy. Consequently, we appeal to all Authorities, and principally – DSS, to comply with the various extant Orders of the Court, by immediately releasing Col. Dasuki (rtd). On 3rd November 2015, the Federal High Court – Abuja, after admitting Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) to bail on self-recognizance, granted him leave to travel abroad for a three-week medical consultation, on account of failing health. As expected of an individual seeking to enjoy the bail terms granted by the Court and the constitutionally protected presumption of innocence in his favour, Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) attempted to seek the necessary medical attention but Officers of the DSS laid siege on his house in Asokoro, in brazen defiance of the Order of Court; and thereby deliberately disallowed him from accomplishing the terms of the Order. The Federal Government, while confirming the continued detention of Col. Dasuki, explained that such actions were due to the severity of the alleged offences. Excerpts of these events were well stated in several reports of National Dailies of 31st December, 2015. In complying with the due process of law, Col. Dasuki filed processes seeking to extend the travel period granted by the Federal High Court and DSS vehemently opposed the application, and continued to barricade Col. Dasuki’s residence. Shortly thereafter, two separate Charges were preferred against him at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in Charge No. FCT/CR/42/2015 & Charge No. FCT/CR/43/2015 against Col. Dasuki, while DSS continued to detain him on purported investigation on allegations of money laundering offences. Bail was subsequently granted on the charges on December 21, 2015 and December 18, 2015, terms of which were duly complied with. Consequently, he was released by the Kuje Prison authorities where he was remanded, but on stepping out of the gate of the Prison, he was seized by the men of DSS and he has been kept by them since”.