the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State took a new dimension
yesterday: The Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, dared Governor
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to make good his threat to open the proverbial
Pandora’s box about the enemies of the state.
The PDP in the state is currently torn between supporters of
the Governor and the minister. It has led to a heavy Police presence at the
State House of Assembly complex, and the Obio/Akpor local government area,
where the chairman’s suspension pitted Amaechi’s supporters in the House
against those of Wike.
The House of Representatives yesterday asked the Inspector
General to withdraw the Policemen.
Amaechi had said on Tuesday: “I will speak to the state,
not now. When I speak to the state, you will not respect any of these people
because I am now determined to open up.” He had played host to a delegation of
Christians in the state, led by the Archbishop of the Anglican Communion,
Archbishop Ignatius Kartey, which paid him a courtesy call at the Government
House.
The Governor had added: “I am not running for any other
position that they would say okay, you must manage information so that people
can trust you. How many times have I said people don’t need to trust? I need to
quote the law and tell you what the issues are which most people don’t know. I
need to tell you and ask that now, you must become your own soldiers, you must
become your own policemen”, he said.
But Wike, who spoke at the headquarters of the PDP,
where the Hon. Felix Obua-led executive was inaugurating committees for
the party, threatened to also talk if Amaechi carried out his threat.
“They have been talking since. If they talk, we will also
talk,” Wike told a crowd of party faithful, declaring that the era of
“use-and-dump” in the state’s politics was over.
Wike urged the party chairman, Hon. Felix Obuah to give
those appointed into various committees a free hand to function effectively.
Earlier, Obuah had inaugurated four committees, namely: State
Reconciliatory committee, performance evaluation committee, disciplinary
committee, and thanksgiving and dedication committee. The Reconciliatory
committees is headed by Senator Adawari Pepple; Performance Evaluation headed
by Hon. Thankgod Osinachukwu Ideago; Disciplinary Committee headed by Chinwe
Aguma and Thanksgiving/dedication committee, Hon Emeka Woke.
Meanwhile, the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN), Rivers
State Chapter, has called on Amaechi to expose the activities and actions of
those he said were enemies of the state.
The party’s publicity secretary, Jerry Needam in a
statement said there was a need for the Governor to name them, noting that
failure to do so would see him as an accomplice.
The party wondered why it took Amaechi “these years and the
horrifying heats on his head” to decide to either open up or dissociate himself
from the alleged unholy activities of his political opponents. The ACN said
that the long years of his muteness had in no way helped the people and the
anticipated growth and development in the state.
It said: “We think he is only playing to the gallery,
trying to confuse the political stage the more. But what is sure is that Rivers
people and Nigerians cannot be hand-twisted and made to believe falsehood
concocted to douse the tension, anxiety and counter the stony revelations on
some purported business transactions engaged in by the Rotimi Administration.
“It is however important that we remind Gov Amaechi of
the various available records of contracts he got and still being awarded
between 1999 when he was Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly till
date that he sits as the Governor of the State. There are also astonishing
records of his business interests within and outside the state that may not
portray him as a better person as he claims to be in his statement.
“It is also important that Governor Amaechi is told
that he who lives in a glass house needs not throw stones.”
The House of Representation yesterday passed a motion directing
the Inspector General to remove policemen from Rivers State Assembly and other
government institutions. Two different motions came up, one in
support of the governor while the second was in favour of the President, but
loyalists of Amaechi carried the day. The House also mandated its committee on
Police Affairs, Justice and Human Rights to conduct thorough investigations
into the siege laid to the government institutions.
Hon Sokonte Davies, a member of the parliament from River
State and a known loyalists of Amaechi, brought a motion under Matter of Urgent
National Importance drawing the attention of the House to the siege laid to
the Assembly and the Obio/Akpor Local Government Council Secretariat by
the men of Nigeria police following the suspension of the LG elected officials
over allegations of financial and other administrative inconsistencies.
The state House of Assembly had on April 22 announced the
suspension of the Council Chairman, his Deputy and all the 17 Councillors. A
caretaker committee was constituted the next day to take over the running of
the council.However the issue degenerated into a chaos as powerful individuals
in the state opposed to the Governor mobilised some persons to stage a protest
over the issue.
The State Executive of the party also suspended the 27
members of the State House of Assembly from the party for refusing to rescind
the suspension of the Council officials who were perceived to be loyalists of
the state Governor.Policemen were drafted to the State Assembly Complex as well
as the Council headquarters to prevent the legislators from sitting as well as
the caretaker committee constituted to replace the suspended Council officials,
from functioning. When the motion was put to general debate, Kingsley Chinda,
an avowed loyalist of President Goodluck Jonathan was the only one who opposed
the motion. His plea that the motion be killed fell on deaf ears.
Immediately after the speaker ruled on the motion, Chinda
raised a point of order and used it to introduce a motion under matters of
urgent National importance just like Sokonte did.His motion was clearly
designed to get the House rescind itself on that of Sokonte.
In his motion, he drew the attention of the House to the
“undemocratic suspension” of the democratically elected officials of
Obio/Akpor LGA which he said was masterminded by the Governor, Amaechi.
He urged the House to condemn in strong terms the suspension
and that the House should urge the Inspector General of Police to immediately
deploy security men to the Area to forestall a breakdown of law and order. He
also urge all House to immediately re-visit all state laws that provide for
appointment of an Administrator or caretaker committees to replace
democratically elected members of LGA executives.
However, he was almost shouted down as the members stated
shouting, “point of order” to draw the attention of the speaker. Nnana Igbokwe
Rapheal, a member from a south east state, told the house that Chinda’s motion
was illegal as it negated what the House had just approved. He explained that
the points raised by Chinda that the House of Assembly lacks power to suspend
LGA executive was wrong, as the constitution provides the power of supervision
and discipline of LGA administration in State Assemblies.
His position was reinforced by the submission of Ibrahim
El-sudi and Femi Gbajabiamila who faulted Chinda, with both quoting
conspicuously from the constitution to back up their points. Chinda was not
repentant as he refused to step down or withdraw the motion,Speaker Aminu
Tambuwal however, seeing the readiness of members to kill Chinda’s motion if
put to vote, used his power to step it down and asked the House Committee on
Rules and Business as well as Justice to meet and advise the House properly on
the desirability of the motion between now and Tuesday.
