Rivers Crisis: 8 APC Governors Visit Amaechi Eight governors of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) yesterday paid a solidarity visit to Rivers State governor and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, in Port Harcourt. Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) and Ibikunle Amuson (Ogun) were there. Also, governors Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Rochas Okorocha (Imo) and Tanko Al-Makura (Nassarawa) were represented by their deputies, Alhaji Ibrahim Wakkala, Eze Madumere and Dameshi Bama Luka respectively. LEADERSHIP gathered that, on their arrival at the Port Harcourt International Airport, the governors moved straight to Government House, Port Harcourt, and went into a closed-door meeting with Amaechi. Speaking to newsmen later, Governor Fayemi said the opposition governors were worried over recent developments in the state, hence their visit to show support and solidarity to Amaechi. Fayemi said, “We are here in support and solidarity with the governor, the government, and the people of Rivers State in these very challenging times. We are concerned as fellow governors representing our governments from all the states you can see here. “We are here because we think security for us is far more of the major concern to the people of Nigeria. Our being here is just to stress the importance of our concern for the security of the citizens of Rivers State.” He called on President Goodluck Jonathan and the inspector-general of police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, to help in restoring the confidence of the people of Rivers State in the police, saying that the confidence of the people in the police service in the state had been greatly diminished. The governor said: “In our deliberation with Amaechi, we thought it was important for the hierarchy of our police authority, the inspector-general of police, to help in restoring the confidence of the people of Rivers State that has really been greatly diminished in the police service and the command here in Rivers State. “We believe that the inspector-general is very well placed to help take the necessary steps to restore the confidence of the government, of the governor and of the people, in the police in Rivers State and every step that is critical to making that possible, we believe, the inspector-general should take. “For us, we believe that this is a matter that really requires the moral authority of Mr President as well. It is about deepening this democracy; it is about ensuring that peace reigns, not just in Rivers State but in the whole country. The tension in Rivers State is entirely avoidable and we want all parties to sheathe their swords and help to restore peace and security of our state here. Also, deputy governor Alhaji Wakkala advised Amaechi to meet President Jonathan so as to find a lasting solution to the crisis in the state. He said, “We advised Governor Amaechi that he should meet with the president to discuss with him so that we can find a way out of this crisis, which is avoidable. We believe that by his meeting with the president actually, we will find a way of resolving this crisis and restoring peace in Rivers State to sustain the democracy in Nigeria.” Thousands of Rivers States indigenes yesterday trooped out at the Port Harcourt International Airport to welcome the eight APC governors who came to pay solidarity visit to Governor Amaechi. The people, who were at the airport as early as 8 am, sang and danced before the arrival of the APC governors, who immediately moved straight to Government House, Port Harcourt, in company of their host (Amaechi). Don’t truncate democracy, Abdulsalami warns politicians Former head of state General Abdulsalami Abubakar yesterday reviewed the political crisis in Rivers State and cautioned politicians not to take actions that would truncate democracy in the country. Abdulsalami stated this yesterday while receiving members of the correspondent chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) who paid him a belated birthday visit at his hilltop residence in Minna, Niger State. Abdulsalami stated that what is happening in River State is quite sad, saying that the politicians involved should try and reflect on what they are doing in the interest of the growth of democracy in the country. He said, “What is happening in River State is quite sad. I hope the politicians will try to put a break and reflect on what they are doing in order not to truncate democracy; in democracy there are limits to what freedom is all about.” The former Nigerian leader posited that freedom of speech and action of individuals end where others’ freedom begins; as such people should be able to understand their limitations in order not to trample upon other people’s freedom. According to him, the politicians should take note of their limitations and check themselves to stop what is going on in Rivers State in the interest of the people and the country at large. The former head of state stated that his experience in the Sudan where he was part of the mediating team of the African Union has shown that it is not good for any country to be devastated by crisis in whatever way. Abdulsalami also urged media people to continue to play their role as watchdog and members of the fourth estate of the realm, saying that the media has always been part and parcel of the developmental process in Nigeria. He thanked the members of the Niger State Correspondents’ Chapel of NUJ for finding time to pay him a visit and stated that the members should adhere to the ethical standards of their profession. ACN to police: Your investigation into Rivers crisis is one-sided But the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has urged the police to be more circumspect and avoid being partisan in the ongoing investigation into the crisis in Rivers State, if the outcome of the investigation is to be acceptable to Nigerians. In a statement issued in Oro, Kwara State, yesterday by its national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ACN said the fact that only the security aides of Governor Amaechi have been invited to Abuja for questioning by the police hierarchy, and also the fact that only the majority leader of the State House of Assembly, Chidi Lloyd, has been declared wanted, has provided an insight into the thinking of the police on the issue. It wondered why the commissioner of police, Rivers State command, Mbu Joseph Mbu, who provided cover for the five renegade lawmakers to attack the House while failing to provide security for the House to sit, and the leader of the renegade lawmakers, Evans Bipi, who allegedly started the crisis in the House by punching Hon. Lloyd and the speaker of the House on the face, were not invited along with the others. ‘’As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. Definitely there are two sides to every issue, including the crisis that rocked the House of Assembly last week. It therefore amounts to a warped investigation to focus only on one side, as the police appear to be doing. This kind of investigation can only lead to jungle justice, and further erode the credibility of the police, who have now descended into the arena instead of staying above the fray. ‘’This is why we warned, in our earlier statement, that the police should go beyond addressing the symptoms in its efforts to unravel the role played by the security agency in the festering crisis. We hate to say that the action of the police hierarchy has vindicated us,’’ ACN said. The party said the fact that the police hierarchy appears to be shielding the glaringly-partisan police commissioner in Rivers (despite the shabby treatment he has meted out to the state’s chief executive) and the five renegade members has made it hard for Nigerians to believe in the neutrality of the police in this matter. ‘’Equally worrisome is the unilateral deployment of new security aides to the Rivers Government House without the usual practice of giving the governor a say in who his security aides are. It is therefore not surprising that the governor has raised the alarm about his personal security. After all, he does not know what instructions these new aides have, especially since the untouchable commissioner of police remains in the saddle!’’ it said. Meanwhile, the ACN has said the root cause of the Rivers crisis appears to have come to the fore, going by the statement credited to the first lady on Wednesday, that it started four years ago when Gov. Amaechi apparently defied Her Excellency’s appeal not to demolish a part of Okrika. ‘’This revelation is a mortal blow to all those who have been struggling to distance the president and the first lady from the Rivers crisis. It also shows that, contrary to the cynical statements blaming the crisis on some external forces and those who are supposedly crying more than the bereaved, the cause is right there in the president’s bedroom, and that’s where the solution should come from,’’ the party said. PDP chieftain asks court to stop Reps from taking over Rivers Assembly In a related development, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amb. Dan JM Harry, has asked a federal high court in Abuja to restrain the House of Representatives from taking over, or performing the functions of, the Rivers State House of Assembly. Harry listed the House of Representatives, the speaker, deputy speaker and the attorney-general of the federation as defendants in the suit filed by his lawyer Chukwuma Nwachukwu. The plaintiff is asking the court to declare that the House of Representatives cannot take over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly without the occurrence of the conditions set out in section 11(4), (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and complying strictly with same. He also asked the court to declare as unlawful, illegal and void the taking over of the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly by the House of Representatives, following its resolution of July 10, 2013.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:02:10 +0000
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