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‘Jonathan is acting worse than Abacha’ – New PDP

10 Min Read

Eleven (11) governors under the auspices of the Progressive Governors Forum has indicted President Goodluck Jonathan of using the powers of his office to intimidate the governor of Rivers State Mr. Rotimi  Amaechi.

This is in their reaction to the sordid treatment meted on Ameachi during the week when he alongside a group of 102 former speakers  of state Houses of Assembly Assembly were barricaded from gaining access into the government house via the  Forces Avenue.

There are however mixed reactions trailing the incident since it’s occurrence on Thursday.

It was learnt that the policemen were allegedly deployed by the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu, to bar Amaechi from the Government House through the route.

In a statement by the governors comprising; Borno State Governor, Kashim  Shetima; Edo State  Governor, Adams Oshiomhole; Ekiti State Governor, Kayode  Fayemi; Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha;  Lagos State Governor, Babatunde  Fashola;  Nasarawa State Governor,  Tanko Almakura; Ogun State  Governor, Ibikunle  Amosun; Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; Oyo State  Governor, Abiola Ajimobi; Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Geldam; and Zamfara  State Governor,  Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari   decried theincident and described it as gradualdescent of the country into a state of anarchy.

The statement was entitled “Blockade to Rivers Government House:  Assault on Constitution and Descent to Anarchy”.

The governors reacted thus; “A situation whereby the Federal Government will use powers vested in it under the  constitution to bully  and intimidate state governments is unacceptable and should  be resisted by  every democratic government.

“We wish to unequivocally state our resolve to work with  all democrats in the  country to ensure adequate protection of democratic  governance.’’

The governors’ statement came just as some Nigerians  condemned the action of the police authorities in Rivers and the police insisted  that they did not bar  the governor from accessing Government House.

The statement revealed that the governors said they were in “shock and disbelief” when the news reached them.

Besides they see the crisis which has been brewing in Rivers  state since July 2013 as “a major threat to the nation’s  democracy”.

“In the specific case of Rivers State, provisions of Section 215(4)  of the 1999 Constitution must be fully respected. This  section provides that  the Governor “may give to the Commissioner of Police of  that state such lawful  directions with respect to the maintenance and security of  public safety and  public order within the state as he may consider necessary,  and the  Commissioner of Police shall comply with those directions or  cause them to be  complied with”, it was maintained.

However, they decried the inability of the presidency to exercise all  the necessary  constitutional and moral authority to ensure the speedy  resolution of the  crisis had remained a source of danger for  the nation’s   democracy ,  the life of Amaechi and those of other public officers serving in the state.

The governors   insisted that the action of the men of the police force was a bad precedent and wondered if  it was a signal that a similar blockade could be mounted  against the President  at the Presidential Villa.

Besides, a renowned  lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), and the National Vice President, Committee for the Defense of  Human Rights, Mr. Taiwo Otitolaye, told the media  through separate  phone interviews that  the police action  was a threat to  democracy.

Sagay said, “It is a breach of  everything. It should not be seen to happen in a civilized society or a  democratic society.”

On his part, Sagay described the police action as a breach of the rule of law, a breach of the right of the freedom of the movement of the governor; a breach of  Amaechi’s right to  go to his office   and an  inhumane act while Otitolaye described it as an undemocratic act.

“We condemn it in strong terms. It is worrisome to us  now that we are not in a military dictatorship.  We do not  want to revert  to that era of military dictatorship. We ask that the presidency should not use  the police or other security apparatus for any undemocratic adventure”, Otitolaye said.

But the president’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party as well as the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) have totally denied the story.

In a statement signed by its Public Relations  Officer, Mrs. Angela  Agabe, the command denied the story that a blockade was instituted  to bar the governor from  entering the Government.

“The story is incorrect, false, fictitious and wrong in its entirety and it is  calculated to mislead the people of Rivers State, Nigerians  and the general  public. The Nigeria Police Force deems it necessary to place in proper  perspective the event that gave rise to the wrong  information being peddled in  the media.’’

“The attention of the police command has been drawn to  stories making the round in the media that the police  blocked the road to the  Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt, denying His  Excellency,  Governor Chibuike Amaechi ,access to the Government House”, the statement further read.

Also the PDP added it town part of the denial of the story when the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief  Olisa Metuh, alleged that the story was a fabrication of lies by Amaechi.

Metuh said the that the governor misled Nigerians by creating an impression  that he was prevented from entering the government house.

“This distortion of facts is totally unacceptable and  unbefitting of a  state governor,” Metu said,

He also said that this is linked to the fact that  Amaechi was  aware that based  on the ruling of the courts, the police had sealed off “a  secretariat illegally  opened by some individuals under the name, flag and colour  of the PDP”.

But the ex-Speakers who were in Port Harcourt for a meeting did not see the situation as a child’s play hence, they described it as a sign of the country’s regression to “the dark days of  the former Head of  State, Gen. Sani Abacha”.

The Chairman of the former Speakers’ Forum Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong, further described the action of the state  police command as the  highest level of impunity in the country.

Lalong who is also and ex-Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, urged the National Assembly to call for the resignation of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed  Abubakar.

Lalong said, “I don’t think it is really police overzealousness, but the police are  controlled by higher authorities. So, if that is what is  happening, I think  people should collectively call for the resignation of the  Inspector-General of  Police.

“Very soon, maybe they will start arresting people in their houses. I wonder what is really happening. I think the President must intervene in this issue.”

Also in reaction to the issue, a statement signed in Abuja by the National Publicity Secretary of the “New PDP” faction, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, on Friday, said many events in the country had shown that democracy was not being allowed to thrive.

“Indeed, General Sani Abacha must be lamenting in his grave that Nigerians  wrongly abused him considering the high degree of impunities  being encouraged  in a democratic set up, with the Police being used as a tool  to haunt political  opponents,” the faction said.

Also on Friday, Ameachi recalled in the incident in a statement which read thus: “All of you saw how the former Speakers came down  from the vehicle to  tell them (police) where we were coming from, but the Police  resisted.

“It is for Nigerians to see that we no longer have democracy in this country.  We are now in a regime where the law is no longer supreme.  We must rise up  against this impunity against our democracy.”

“The National Assembly and the various state houses of assembly should address the retirement and welfare of the ex-lawmakers, it is very  important.

Other stakeholders in the country including member of the house of assembly  and the Chairman, House Committee on Downstream, Mr.  Dakuku Peterside; a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora; a former chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Oyo State, Mr. Akin Oke.

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