JONATHAN/AMAECHI FACEOFF: DAME PATIENCE RELOCATES TO PORT HARCOURT

The alleged move by the Presidency to remove the Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi took a dramatic turn yesterday as the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has decided to take the bull by the horn in the matter.

LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that the first lady’s visit to Port Harcourt was a move to ensure that the State House of Assembly members are mobilised to ensure Governor Amaechi’s impeachment from office.

The first lady moved into a newly-built mansion in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. She is expected to spend 11 days in Port Harcourt. But our sources said that the first lady has vowed not to leave the Garden City until the governor is finally removed from office.

It was gathered that as at yesterday night, Dame Jonathan had met with some of the lawmakers in an alleged move to start the plot to hasten the impeachment process, while the venue of the meeting could not be ascertained as at press time.

The new move became necessary as the Presidency believes that Dame Jonathan, being an indigene of the state and also being well grounded in the politics of the state, has all it takes to effect the governor’s removal.

The political differences between President Jonathan and Governor Amaechi reached its crescendo when the Presidency allegedly started mobilising against Amaechi’s bid for a second term shot at the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) chairmanship position. The NGF’s chairmanship election led to the factional division amongst the governors, creating a faction led by Amaechi and another being led by Governor Jang of Plateau State.

There are allegations that the Presidency created the Jang’s faction to break the stronghold of Amaechi and some anti-Jonathan governors that are bent on seeing that the President does not run for a second term. 

Thereafter, the federal government in a surprise move grounded the plane belonging to the state government, while threatening to probe the administration of Governor Amaechi over mismanagement of funds.

The drama continued with the NGF’s crisis, which eventually led to the suspension of Governor Amaechi from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It would be recalled that the name of the governor is already being pencilled down as a possible vice presidential candidate on a ticket that would parade a Northerner as the presidential candidate to challenge President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

This move, the President sees as an affront, as Amaechi being a South-South man, would be denying the region of a second shot at the Presidency.

The first lady’s move, according to sources, therefore became necessary to weed out the “Judas” within the fold of the ruling party.  

Source: Leadership