Those who think Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka’s intervention in the Rivers state crisis would compel President Goodluck Jonathan to end the alleged intimidation of Governor Rotimi Amaechi are mistaken. The President today said Soyinka’s intervention has not shown him to be an elderly citizen. Soyinka had told Nigerians on Thursday that Jonathan should be held culpable should Amaechi be killed. Jonathan’s reaction came just as he also accused Amaechi of being the architect of the crisis in his state. Jonathan’s reaction to Soyinka and Amaechi came through the Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, who also denied that the President has a hand in the ongoing crisis. The president flayed the governor for “physically” driving to the House of Assembly “to partake in the crisis”. The statement noted, “It’s mischief to say that the president is behind the crisis in Rivers State. The president cannot be part of the crisis in that state. He is a man of peace. The problem in Rivers State is the internal wrangling of the administration of the governor. It’s sad that when there are crises in the House of Assembly, the governor will physically drive there to partake in the crises. “We’ve seen the videos, the CSO to the governor, the ADC and the orderly were right inside the chambers, partaking in the bout. We saw the Majority Leader of the Amaechi group who was wearing a white dress and was using the mace to beat people. The video is clear. Immediately after, he left the House of Assembly and went to the Government House and laid down in a bed in the Government House Clinic pretending. The fact is, in this crisis of Rivers State, the governor should be held responsible because if he had not gone physically to the House of Assembly, those guys wouldn’t have been bold to be beating people there. “Moreso, that his security aides were right inside the sacred chambers, which ordinarily nobody is allowed to enter apart from the members. So, I repeat that Amaechi should be held responsible for what happened. He should not drag Jonathan’s name into this matter. Rather, it is the president that is the victim of Amaechi’s mischief plan. He is claiming the state is under siege and that the commissioner of police is against him, whereas the CP physically warned him not to go physically into the House of Assembly. In Nigeria, we’ve seen crises in Houses of Assembly before. There was a time Adamawa State House of Assembly was closed for three months because of a crisis, we didn’t see the governor drive physically into the assembly. Thereafter, the issue was resolved”. Responding to Soyinka, the presidential aide also asked the world renowned writerto talk like an elder statesman rather than blame the crisis in Rivers State on Jonathan and his wife. He added, “Soyinka, without knowing the fact just, went public to blame the president and his wife for what is happening in the state. He is an elder statesman, I don’t want to join issues with him, but I will say that he should be responsible.”
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 04:16:08 +0000
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