FRESH TROUBLE FOR GOV AMAECHI OVER AIRCRAFT

• PDP gives gov 48 hours to explain ownership

• Suspends 27 lawmakers loyal to Rivers’ helmsman

• ACN faults NCAA’s grounding of plane

• Soyinka warns of anarchy

A FRESH crisis looms in Rivers State with the state People’s Democratic Party (PDP) giving Governor Chibuike Amaechi a 48-hour ultimatum to explain the real ownership of the state’s aircraft that was grounded last week or face a disciplinary action.

The newly-inaugurated state executive council of the party, led by Felix Obuah, has also suspended the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader, Whip and 23 other members of the State House of Assembly and declared their positions vacant for failing to rescind the suspension of the Obio-Akpor Local Council executive and legislators.

Outraged at the crisis in Rivers, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has warned of anarchy in the country as the Judiciary is continually manipulated for political reasons.

Soyinka told journalists in Port Harcourt Monday that he was very much concerned about the imbroglio in which the state (Rivers State) appeared to be involved following an Abuja High Court judgment that removed the Godspower Ake-led PDP executive in Rivers State.

Addressing journalists after an emergency meeting of the state executive held at the state secretariat, Obuah said the party was concerned about the unfolding facts surrounding the grounded 700 Bombardier Global Express aircraft belonging to Rivers State government and normally used in conveying Amaechi.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) at the weekend announced the grounding of the Rivers’ aircraft for operating illegally in the country. But the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said that all the documents of the aircraft were in place and that the state had applied formally to the minister of aviation for the import licence. According to her, that application was received in the minister’s office in September 2012.

According to the PDP chairman, the facts available to the party indicate that the controversial aircraft does not belong to the state and therefore the governor should explain its true ownership.

He said that the party would not allow monumental fraud to be perpetrated in Rivers State, stressing that it was unacceptable and embarrassing to the PDP that public funds were completely mismanaged.

“These questions must be answered by the state government led by Governor Chibuike Amaechi. Where is the aircraft purportedly bought with Rivers State fund and tax-payers’ money? Where are the billions of naira taken from the coffers of the Rivers State government gone to and for what purpose were they appropriated and where were they diverted?” he said.

Obuah, who replaced the Godspower Ake-led state executive which is said to be pro-Amaechi, said the PDP as a unit of government would not allow anybody or group of persons to corruptly enrich themselves under any guise.

“The government of Rivers State led by Governor Chibuike Amaechi owes the explanation to the entire people of Rivers State and the PDP in particular as to the true ownership of the Bombardier BE700. They should also explain the identity and the role played by the Bank of Utah on the purchase of the aircraft and the identity of the owners. Rivers State governor should within 48 hours give an explanation of the whereabouts of the billions of naira expended on the aircraft or face a disciplinary action from the party,” Obuah said.

The party chairman explained that penultimate Monday, his executive had issued a 24-hour ultimatum to members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to rescind the suspension of Obio-Akpor Local Council chairman, Timothy Nsirim, his deputy and 17 councillors, but the party’s order had been flagrantly disregarded by the lawmakers who had since affirmed that they did not recognise Obuah as the party chairman.

“It is on this note that the 27 House of Assembly members that refused to rescind the order to recall the Chairman of Obio-Akpor and its 17 councillors are hereby suspended from the party. A disciplinary committee that has been set up will further investigate their activities and submit to the party for further action. We cannot tolerate this. And … the governor has 48 hours to explain the issue surrounding the grounded aircraft,” he added.

According to Soyinka, the Judiciary is trying to reform itself, but that there are still some dark areas and it is the effect of the dark areas that seems to be creating a crisis in Rivers State.

“I am just alarmed. I am alarmed that a situation exists at all where it strikes me, it appears to me that the Judiciary is being manipulated. That is the impression which I had and that is an alarm which should be sounded in every corner of the nation,” Soyinka said.

Soyinka, who also expressed concerns over pettiness in governance at any level, said it was not appropriate for any government in a democratic situation to pay attention to unimportant issues rather than serious matters. According to him, pettiness at any level is unbecoming of any democratic situation.

“I see that I cannot escape all what is going on. I have also put some questions myself, I mean, obviously, I am a citizen of this nation, so I am affected personally by what is happening at the opposite end of the nation. Those who feel that any kind of transgression of the collective rights of groups will not affect, will not have a kind of ripple effect which will affect other parts of the nation must be living in a cloud,” he said.

He continued: “I am very much concerned about the imbroglio in which the state (Rivers State) appears to be involved at the moment and my main comment is for heaven’s sake, whatever happens internally between parties and so on, please don’t debase and don’t manipulate the Judiciary. That is my appeal to governance at all levels. Please do not manipulate the Judiciary because when you do, you have chaos, you have total anarchy, you reduce the nation to a space of complete breakdown of law and order which is what this nation had better avoid.”

He congratulated the government and people of Rivers State on the emergence of Port Harcourt as 2014 World Book Capital, and stressed the need to use knowledge to fight the forces of retrogression in the Nigerian society.

“I am glad that we have got to assist Rivers State, that we are in a position to assist the Rivers State government using the instrumentality of literacy, of education, of knowledge to counter the negativists, violent negativists as represented in movements like Boko Haram,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday faulted the grounding of the Rivers State Government’s private aircraft by the regulatory NCAA, describing it as “a glaring case of political witch-hunt, despite the tepid denial of all concerned.”

In a statement by the ACN National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said the action also amounts to “gross abuse of national institutions, and a pointer to what lies ahead for all perceived enemies of the Jonathan administration.”

According to ACN, “the worst part of the whole issue is the fact that a body like NCAA, which is supposed to carry out its all-important duties without political interference, but in accordance with stipulated global standards, has now become a tool in the hands of vindictive politicians.”

‘’First, the plane was ostensibly grounded in Akure because the pilot did not declare the flight’s manifest to the appropriate authorities. Then, it was said that the plane’s clearance certificate has expired, hence it was banned from flying in the Nigerian airspace.

‘’The questions that arise, therefore, are: Has the clearance certificate for the plane really expired? When did it expire? Was this communicated to the Rivers State government before the plane was grounded? If so, when, and if not, why not?” the statement read in part.

‘’While the NCAA must be free to carry out its regulatory duties without hindrance, it must be careful not to be seen to be acting on the orders of politicians. If this is the new modus operandi of the NCAA, then the nation is in trouble, and must be ready to see the reversal of the positive strides recorded in the aviation sector in the past few years,’’ the party warned.

It said while the alleged political crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not the business of anyone outside the party, it (ACN) is compelled to speak out “when national institutions are now being dragged into what is essentially an ugly ego-fight.”

Source: Guardian