WIKE TO AMAECHI: TALK AND I’LL TALK TOO

THE political crisis rocking 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.

Source: Compass