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Tag: Amaechi

Anxiety as security chiefs meet over Amaechi

There was anxiety yesterday in political circles in Rivers State over a meeting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, between some Presidency officials and some Rivers State security chiefs.

The agenda was not immediately clear last night, but a source said it was to discuss the political crisis in Rivers.

“They planned to how to dislodge Governor Rotimi Amaechi, “the source said.

Rivers House Speaker Otelemabu Dan Amachree has raised the alarm that plot to use five lawmakers to impeach Amaechi was in the offing.

There are 27 lawmakers backing the governor, who is locked in a battle of wits with some politicians for the control of the local Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to the source, a close associate of the President summoned the security chiefs to Yenagoa last Saturday.

The meeting was held at the instance of the “anti-Amaechi forces, one of whom is a power broker “down”.

“At the meeting the power broker thoroughly berated the heads of the security agencies present for not tackling the ‘Amaechi situation’ clinically.

“The arrowhead (the power broker) told his fear-stricken guests that if they were all working like the State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, the Amaechi matter” would have been resolved,” the source quoted the power broker as saying.

“The power broker purportedly told them that she is very worried that Governor Amaechi still has a stronghold on the state, despite the onslaught against him and his political structures, it was learnt.

The police, last Friday sealed off the secretariat of Obio-Akpor Local Council.

Amachree and members of the House have accused Mbu of working against the interest of the people.

The office of the First Lady issued a statement last night, saying she is not involved in the Rivers State crisis.

The statement signed by Ayo Osinlu, her Special Assistant on Media, said: “This is to alert the general public that insinuations are rife in a section of the public towards drawing the First Lady into the political crisis in Rivers State. “According to the insinuations, the First Lady is being alleged to have summoned and held a meeting with security chiefs in Rivers state last weekend where she instructed them to take firmer action on the political crisis in the state.

“We assure all well meaning Nigerians that this is the handwork of mischief makers who are hell bent to drag the person of the First Lady into disrepute.

“We therefore, advise members of the public to discountenance such impressions, as the First Lady remains committed to peace and good governance in the country. “

May 9, 2013
I’ll expose those fighting against me, says Rivers governor

In Port Harcourt, Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) spoke on his political battle, saying he is not running for Vice-President, as being speculated.

Amaechi said whenever he opens up; people would no longer respect any of the persons fighting him. He did not name them.

The Committee of Concerned Clergies for Peace in the Niger Delta, through its National Coordinator, Pastor Richard Ihunwo, and the National Secretary, Pastor Gabriel Adat, yesterday called for quick resolution of the PDP crisis.

The representative of Port Harcourt III Constituency in the House of Assembly, Victor Ihunwo, also yesterday raised the alarm on a plan by the 27 pro-Amaechi lawmakers to suspend him and four others for not supporting the governor .

The others are Michael Chinda (Obio/Akpor II constituency), Kelechi Godspower Nwogu (Omuma), Evans Bipi (Ogu/Bolo) and Martins Amaewhule (Obio/Akpor I), with the five of them loyal to the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike.

Ihunwo said he and the four others were insisting that there was no petition against the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Loclal Government, Timothy Nsirim, who was on April 22 suspended along with his deputy, Solomon Eke, and all the 17 councillors.

Amaechi spoke while receiving a delegation of clerics, led by the Archbishop of the Niger Delta Province of the Anglican Communion and Diocese of Niger Delta North, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

Amaechi said: “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. I am not running for any other position that they would say ‘okay, you must manage information, so that people can trust you’.

“ I need to quote the law and tell you what the issues are, which most people do not know. I need to tell you and ask that now, you must become your own soldiers; you must become your own policemen.

“Nobody realises how much effort we have put in place, for people to walk on the streets. Nobody realises how much money we have put in place, to make people walk on the streets. All they are interested in is how they would bring down those efforts. So, as men of God, you must stand for the truth and preach the truth.

“We need to be able to grow the economy. We need to be able to say to our people, ‘this is a state which we are proud of’. We have numerous projects that we have put in place. Before the end of the year, a lot of projects will be completed that you will see for yourselves.

“We intend to complete the Conference Centre that we are building at Chief G. U. Ake Road and the Agbani Darego Cultural Centre that is in Town; the new School of Nursing, which is at the old University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).

“When you go to the old UPTH, there are three projects going on simultaneously. One is the School of Nursing that now has the capacity to admit 500 nursing students. The one you have in Mile Four, Port Harcourt can take only 100 and everyday we struggle with approval with the agency that is supposed to give approval, because of poor equipment and poor environmental condition.

“Now, we are building a better one in a better place. Then, you have a primary school that is under construction there and the Heart Hospital being built by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). That is what we have converted that place to be.

“We have so many of the fish farms. We have one in Buguma, that is nearing completion. We have six of the new secondary schools to be completed by the end of the year. We have completed a lot of the power distribution substations.”

Kattey had earlier grieved over the political situation in Rivers, lamenting that it could set back the state.

The Archbishop prayed that God would grant the NGF chairman the grace, strength and wisdom to continually perform and overcome any challenge.

He said: “Your Excellency’s administration has made landmark achievements in all sectors of our economy. Rivers State came first in the country in malaria eradication and control. The siting of the biolaviocide production factory by ECOWAS in the state is also a significant milestone. This speaks volume of your government in funding the health sector.

“We congratulate Your Excellency for making Rivers people proud once again, by winning the Vanguard Man of the Year Award for 2012. We are proud of your humble achievements.

“We wish to thank Your Excellency for the various ways God has used you to assist the church in our time. We admire your zeal, courage and commend you. You have often displayed non-denominational approach in your goodwill to the Church of God.”

Kattey informed the governor of his elevation to the of Dean of the Church of Nigeria, which is second to the Primate and of the upcoming Synod of the church in Port Harcourt in May, while lauding Amaechi for his continued support to the church.

The Committee of Concerned Clergies for Peace in the Niger Delta also urged the Federal Government to consider Option B while granting amnesty to members of the Boko Haram and to ensure that the main actors do not remain faceless.

They also condemned “in very strong words”, the ambushing and killing of 12 policemen in Bayelsa State, urging the Federal Government to consider introducing state police to stop the senseless killings.

May 9, 2013
‘Amaechi is fighting for federalism’

House of Representatives member Hon. Dakuku Peterside is the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream). In this interview with Victor Oluwasegun, he speaks on the crisis rocking the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the face-off between President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

How will you assess the performance of the governor of your home state, Rivers?

Impressive and spectacular. Governor Amaechi has done very well. Few Nigerians will disagree with me that he is among the top three model governors. He is outstanding in security, education and health. He has done well in roads and power, but above all , he has come to symbolise transparency and accountability. In terms of performance, Governor Amaechi is a gold fish. This simply justifies the support he is enjoying from Rivers people and Nigerians.

Why is he having crisis in the Nigerian Governors Forum, the Rivers State PD and with the President?

I am not aware that he is having any problems with the President. You see, in this clime, being honest, bold and courageous could lead you into trouble. Permit me to take the issues one after the other. On Nigeria Governors Forum, there is absolutely no trouble. Certain characters allowed themselves to be used for selfish reasons to destabilise a registered association that has stabilised the polity. Governor Amaechi’s only crime is that he puts a face to decisions made by his colleagues, very often for the interest of democracy and federalism. Some persons also claim that he is too forthright and I don’t know what crime that is called. However, the biggest unsaid problem is the perception by certain persons in the Presidency that Governor Amaechi has ambition to aspire to higher office. The attempt to criminalise ambition, if any, is the root cause of the perceived problem in NGF. This contradicts with the expectation of some of the President’s associates who are pushing that he should go for a second term.

The second strand is speaking truth to power as can be seen in Governor Amaechi’s comments on the Sovereign Wealth Fund, excess crude account, Rivers-Bayelsa oil well issue, fuel subsidy, Eastwest road, Adamawa PDP case amongst others.

Are there forces in the Presidency you alluded to responsible for the crisis in PDP Rivers State?

Is there any crisis in PDP Rivers State? There is absolutely no crisis. What has happened is simple to understand, unless you chose to ignore or thwart the facts and continue in self delusion or you are outrightly ignorant of how the federal might can be manipulated against the perceived political opponents in Nigeria. A party congress was conducted peacefully in March 2012. Nobody raised issues until December 2012 when the interest of certain elements in the Presidency clashed with certain elements in Rivers State who are incurably ungrateful and who do not fear God. Then, some characters in the judiciary allowed themselves to be used and a controversial judgement surfaced. An Abuja High Court gave judgement in an issue it has no business with. One Felix Obuah, who never participated in any of the party congresses, started parading himself as the PDP Rivers Chairman. The same Felix Obuah has been going about making inflammatory remarks. If history teaches any lesson, it is that this ones too will be consigned to the dustbin of history very soon. I have watched how a certain colleague of mine from Rivers State sold his conscience and tries helplessly to defend the indefensible on the television. All the members of the PDP in Rivers State know who their leaders are and know who the charlatans are. Rivers people are more intelligent than the ignorance been displayed by the characters parading themselves as the officials of the PDP in the State. Rivers people know them and know their history.

Are you suggesting that the judgement of Abuja High Court on Rivers PDP is faulty?

I am not suggesting that, but the facts are clear. Prof. Itse Sagay, the respectable legal luminary, said that single judgement delivered by Justice Ishaq Bello had the capacity of derailing our democracy. He clearly said that it has no basis in law and portends danger to our democracy. Prof. Wole Soyinka expressed concern that the debasement and manipulation of the judiciary by the politicians as exemplified by the judgement of Justice Ishaq Bello can lead to anarchy. He acknowledged the effort of the current Chief Justice of Nigeria to reform the judiciary, but recognized the fact that there are dark areas and that this dark area is responsible for the seeming crisis in Rivers State. These are voices of reason. What has happened is an attempt to sacrifice the entire democratic project to get to one man who is perceived to be a political opponent. How do you explain a situation where there is a dispute among two persons who live in Rivers State over an event that occurred in Rivers State, yet a resolution was reached by an FCT High Court? How do you explain a situation where the congress in dispute took place in March, last year, and only became a subject of litigation one year after? What does the law says about the law courts entertaining purely intra-party matter? These are questions begging for answers. I am optimistic that the Court of Appeal will cure this malaise, restore sanity in the system and save our democracy from self destruction by a few desperate folks. The judgement has done a serious damage to our democracy

The new or factional party officers in Rivers State, as you admitted, have suspended the members of House of Assembly and threatened to impeach Governor Amaechi. What is your take on that?

It is laughable. It simply shows the degree of ignorance of the characters parading themselves as party officials in Rivers State. They are displaying ignorance or lack of knowledge of the powers of state party officers. Even, if we admit that they can suspend elected officials, and by extension, party leaders, by our law, they do not lose their seats in the legislature. So, I do not know what they stand to benefit by that rascality.

May 9, 2013
Tension rises in Rivers

-Five anti-Amaechi lawmakers at Assembly

–Soyinka: stop executive impunity

-Speaker, commissioner allege emergency rule plot

-PDP chair calls for calm

THERE was tension yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital where two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are struggling for control.

Five lawmakers loyal to the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, were at the House of Assembly, escorted by Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu.

The 27 pro-Governor Rotimi Amaechi lawmakers, including Speaker Otelemaba Dan Amachree, stayed away.

Pro-Wike protesters, armed with placards bearing various inscriptions and singing anti-Amaechi songs, thronged the Assembly and the secretariat of Obio/Akpor Local Government in Rumuodomaiya, Port Harcourt.

The protesters, from the 23 local government areas, called for the resignation of Amaechi or his impeachment, as well as the removal of the Speaker.

To the state government, it was all part of a grand plan to provoke violence and pave the way for emergency rule and the governor’s removal.

The protesters also called for the reinstatement of the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government, Timothy Nsirim, his deputy, Solomon Eke, and the 17 councillors suspended on April 22 by the 27 pro-Amaechi legislators.

The Chief Felix Obuah-led executive of the PDP also condemned the speaker’s call for Mbu’s redeployment, accusing Amachree of raising false alarm.

But the speaker insisted that the police commissioner should be removed for taking sides and acting the script of “Abuja forces”.

The case filed by the 27 suspended lawmakers against the Obuah-led PDP at a Port Harcourt High Court presided over by Justice Henry Aprioku was yesterday adjourned till May 23.

The five lawmakers — Michael Chinda (Obio/Akpor II Constituency), Kelechi Godspower Nwogu (Omuma), Evans Bipi (Ogu/Bolo), Martins Amaewhule (Obio/Akpor I) and Victor Ihunwo (Port Harcourt III) — said they got information from the Clerk of the Assembly, Emmanuel Amaewhule Ogele, that the House would reconvene at 10 am yesterday and they decided to attend.

The speaker, who spoke through his Press Secretary, Jim Udede, said the House would have reconvened at 10 am, but decided to postpone the sitting indefinitely when he was hinted of a planned protest, which he claimed could lead to the breakdown of law and order. It was not to allow “enemies of progress” to declare emergency in the state, he said.

The five anti-Amaechi lawmakers moved to the Assembly, amid tight security, and stayed in their offices. They were still there as at the time our reporters left the Assembly around 1 pm.

They said they were waiting for the 27 pro-Amaechi lawmakers to show up for the sitting, stressing that they were not informed of the postponement. The speaker admitted that they were not informed, because, according to him, the information that Wike’s supporters would unleash mayhem came very late on Sunday.

On April 22, the Chairman of Obio/Akpor council, Prince Timothy Nsirim; his deputy, Solomon Eke; and all the 17 councillors loyal to Wike were suspended. The Obuah-led PDP executive, also on April 29, suspended the 27 pro-Amaechi lawmakers, including the speaker.

The five anti-Amaechi lawmakers condemned the suspension of Nsirim and others.

Bipi said: “How would the 27 lawmakers have suspended Nsirim and others, without following due process? Where did they get the committee’s report? Nothing like that. The report was forged. No petition against Nsirim and others.”

Ihunwo said: “We are supposed to reconvene today, but we cannot see any of them (27 pro-Amaechi lawmakers). We believe in the rule of law. In suspending Nsirim and others, they did not follow Order 22, Rules 1 and 4, which make it mandatory for the petition to be laid before the House by a lawmaker.

“What is chasing them could be what they did to Obio/Akpor Local Government chairman and others. Rivers people should be calm and law-abiding.”

Chinda said: “The procedure through which they suspended the Obio/Akpor chairman and others is wrong. They did not follow Order 22, Rules 1 and 4.

“There was no petition against Nsirim and others. They should stop deceiving Rivers people. There should not have been any caretaker committee in Obio/Akpor council.”

Nwogu and Amaewhule also corroborated the three others, insisting that there was no petition against the suspended officials. They maintained their suspension was illegal.

The anti-Amaechi protesters, in over 100 buses, under the umbrella of Grassroots Democratic Initiative (GDI) and led by Kinikanwo Amadi, stormed the locked gate of the secretariat of Obio/Akpor council at Rumuodomaya around 7:30 am.

But battle-ready policemen did not allow the protesters into the expansive secretariat. They later moved to the Rivers House of Assembly on Moscow Road in Port Harcourt.

The peaceful protest led to a heavy traffic jam on the ever-busy road to the Port Harcourt International Airport and Moscow Road, with the youths declaring that the protest would continue daily, until the caretaker committee members and chairman vacate their offices for Nsirim, his deputy and councillors.

Some of their placards read: “Felix Obuah, man of the people”; “Go Round (Felix Obuah), Agwu Zumba”; “GDI is in full support of what policemen are doing”; “Dike David Chikordi (chairman of a seven-member caretaker committee inaugurated on April 23) out, Hon. Timothy Nsirim in”; and “Hon. Timothy Nsirim is our choice. Rivers State House of Assembly, leave him alone.”

Speaking for the protesters, ex-Security Adviser of Obio/Akpor Local Government, Godwin Ikeazor said: “We are condemning the action of Governor Chibuike Amaechi and members of Rivers House of Assembly, who suspended Nsirim, his deputy and 17 councillors.

“We are asking the caretaker committee members to leave office and also call on Governor Amaechi to resign from office within 48 hours. Amaechi masterminded the suspension of the performing, focused and hardworking Hon. Nsirim and others.

“The leader of Rivers House of Assembly, Chidi Lloyd, should also resign with immediate effect. Lloyd is the person causing the whole trouble for Amaechi. He is making noise here and there, but he could not win the last election in his constituency, if not through the help of Amaechi, who pleaded with his people.

“We will continue with the protest, until the caretaker committee members leave office. We want Hon. Timothy Nsirim to return to the office. The allegations levelled against him are baseless, untrue and frivolous.”

The leadership of the PDP also “strongly” condemned the statement credited to the speaker, calling for the redeployment of police commissioner.

The Obuah-led PDP said: “The call on the Inspector-General of Police (Mohammed Abubakar) to redeploy the Rivers State Police Commissioner (Mbu Joseph Mbu) is baseless, malicious, reckless and another demonstration of legislative rascality.

“Mr. Mbu is a professional police officer, who has discharged his duties diligently and should not be dragged into partisan politics.

“We hereby urge the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly to concentrate on the business of lawmaking, for the good people of Rivers State, rather than blaming his incapacity and ineptitude on some federal institutions in the state.

“The PDP leadership in the state is also using this medium to ask the speaker and his cohorts to stop raising false alarm and spreading rumours about impeachment of the governor of Rivers State, arrest of state functionaries and the plan to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State. The PDP in Rivers State is not aware of the said plans.

“It is pertinent to state that no reasonable and responsible government is administered on the basis of cheap blackmail. Enough of the unnecessary and unwarranted political tension in the state.”

Obuah, while responding to questions from reporters, after reading the five-paragraph statement, in company of the party’s secretary, Walter Ibibia, and other members of his executive, declared that the speaker’s “blackmail” was capable of chasing away investors and heighten tension in the state.

The PDP chairman, who is a former chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, also admonished Rivers people to disregard all the statements credited to the speaker, who he said wanted to cause confusion, insisting that the police commissioner acted fast, to prevent the breakdown of law and order and should be encouraged, rather than being castigated.

Obuah noted that no problem had been recorded in Rivers state, since Mbu took over as police commissioner about two months ago, stressing that the speaker and 26 other members disrespected the leadership of PDP in the state, by refusing to reinstate Nsirim and others, within the 48-hour ultimatum given.

He added that there was no plan to impeach Amaechi and that no fake mace was smuggled into Port Harcourt to remove the speaker and governor.

Obuah, while commenting on yesterday’s protest by pro-Wike supporters, said: “Members of my executive and I are in the state for peace. Rivers people should remain calm. It is not in our character to use thugs.

“Thugs were not involved in yesterday’s peaceful protests. The people of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area protested because of injustice and showed their displeasure to the illegal removal of Prince Nsirim, his deputy and the 17 councillors.”

The speaker issued a statement in which he insisted that there was a plan to create violence and declare a state of emergency. Besides, he condemned what he called the plot to make the sitting of the legislature violent.

Amachree said: “The overall plan is to introduce gunshots outside the chambers, create pandemonium in the Assembly and its environs. Thus paving the way for the declaration of a state of emergency.

“All those who live and do business in Rivers State know that the Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has worked very hard for the return and sustenance of peace in Rivers State since he assumed office in 2007.

“The Rivers State House of Assembly, as an active partner, stands with the governor and challenges anyone, who is part of the plot to destabilise Rivers State to do the following, before declaring any emergency in Rivers State:

“Declare a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Kano states, where Boko Haram and their collaborators are killing innocent men, women and children on a daily basis. Identify, arrest and prosecute those who carried out the Madalla Christmas killings of December 2011.

“In Bayelsa State, 12 policemen were killed in Azuzuama Creek, followed by another round of killings in Lobia1 last weekend, without a state of emergency declared in the home state of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“We state again that Rivers State is peaceful and that the symbol of democracy in the state, the Rivers State House of Assembly, is peaceful and very orderly. Let the law enforcement agencies cooperate with us, not to be tools against the people.

“There is a plan to arrest the speaker and other key members of the Rivers House of Assembly before May 7, 2013 and also to arrest the Rivers Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside, as soon as possible, so that a state of emergency can be declared in Rivers State before May 9, 2013.

“Rivers people, is this the way to go? Please rise against the plot to abort democracy in Rivers State.”

The Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, speaking with reporters in Port Harcourt yesterday, said that some hoodlums were trying to cause disaffection, thereby pretending that there was chaos in the state.

Semenitari said: “I know that Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi is in full control of the state. There are no matters for concern in Rivers State.

“We are certain that there is no chaos in Rivers State and that government is in full control of the situation.

“As far back as about two weeks ago, we heard of rumours that a few miscreants were making an attempt to foist something that is totally undemocratic on the people of Rivers State.

“We are aware that people were imagining that it would be possible to attempt a Dariye treatment in Rivers state, where they would take just five members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, out of 32 members and attempt an impeachment of the governor of Rivers State.

“This is Rivers State, this is not Plateau State and Nigerians are lot more aware now, than they were at that time. This democracy must stand and the people of Rivers State will defend every vote that they have cast for Governor Chibuike Amaechi.

“There is no way it is going to happen, that a very tiny insignificant minority in the Rivers State House of Assembly will be able to oust Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.

“As at yesterday, the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government council issued a statement saying that it had come to his notice that some disgruntled elements and certain politicians had been going around local government councils across Rivers State to see if they could mobilise a crowd.

“I was told that they went as far as Khana and Emohua to try and get a group of boys to join them to come to protest the removal of Obio/Akpor council chairman, his deputy and 17 councillors. I found it a little curious, but I believe that because the council chairman is the Chief Security Officer of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, that he certainly knew what he was talking about.

“He went ahead and notified the relevant security agencies about this threat. I believe he was on top of the situation. As at this (yesterday) morning, I heard that a group of people were at the Rivers State House of Assembly.”

As the Obuah-led executive of PDP was suspending the 27 Assembly members on April 29, a Port Harcourt High Court, presided over by Justice Henry Aprioku, was granting an order of interim injunction, restraining the PDP from suspending the pro-Amaechi lawmakers. The court directed that the order should stand, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The case was adjourned till May 23.

Rivers Progressive yesterday condemned the take over of the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex.

In a statement by Owei Lawson, the group said: “Today, 6 May, 2013, over two dozens armed men converged on Rivers State House of Assembly in a desperate attempt to disrupt activities in the Assembly and circumvent the wishes of the people.

“All over the world, the legislature is sacred and remains a critical arm of government because of its representative nature. Therefore, Rivers Progressives condemn this invasion in its entirety.

“As a people, we must be vigilant and continually remind ourselves that these are perilous times. Therefore, the interest of a few politicians in Abuja must not be allowed to triumph over the aspirations of our people.

“We are not unmindful of this orchestrated act, which is geared towards engendering disaffection and mayhem, all in an attempt to provide sufficient reason for the Presidency to declare a state of emergency in our peaceful state. We must not fold our arms and watch this act of lawlessness.

May 7, 2013
The Jonathan–Amaechi saga

Those who made the uncanny connection between the seat of our presidency, Aso Rock, and untimely deaths when Dame Patience Jonathan ‘died for seven days’ sometime ago, may have overlooked a more potent harmful force operating from that coveted locus of power. While death at Aso Rock of a President, or of even an obtrusive first lady, is ungainly and distracting as it has proved to be for our political transitions, what should really give every one of us a nightmare is the perennial gross abuse of presidential powers, particularly the type that scorns our constitution. More than death, a strain of abuse of power has become standardised and customised in Aso Rock.

In the past week, a stranger that fiction type of story in a real democracy has been making the rounds. Like in the past under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, several accusing fingers are pointing at the current occupant of Aso Rock, President Goodluck Jonathan. According to the reports, Governor Chibuike Amaechi may be impeached by 5 members of the state House of Assembly, made up of 32 members. The preamble to that report was that 27 members of the state assembly loyal to Governor Amaechi have been suspended as party members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by the newly court installed National Executive Committee of the start branch of the party. Now in a classical case of passing off, the suspension of the legislators from their party has been strangely elevated to a suspension from the House of Assembly; and the five members allegedly sold on this illegal plot are working to execute the plans.

Now it is an open secret that Governor Chibuike Amaechi has been accused of nursing presidential ambition, to the chagrin of the presidency and their party hierarchy. While he denies the ambition, his body language is showing otherwise. In reaction, the presidency has been openly and covertly putting all manner of stumbling blocks on Amaechi’s part, to kill the ambition in infancy. Some of the high jumps put in Amaechis’ part include the ‘discovery’ that he bought a private jet with the state money in the name of a foreign company; and that the papers for the operation of the aircraft has expired. The presidency has also allegedly recruited Governor Godswill Akpabio, the Niger Delta Minister, Orubebe, and Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, to clubber Amaechi to submission. While Akpabio is heading the anti-Ameachi group to stop his re-election as Chairman of the obtrusive Governor’s forum, Wike allegedly aided the sacking of the state party executive by an Abuja High Court; which led to the emergence of the new executive that sacked the 27 lawmakers.

While all the above developments may be excused as real politicking by Amaechi’s opponents; the allegation that the Presidency is aiding five legislators out of 32 to impeach Governor Amaechi if indeed true should be condemned and resisted by every democrat. Such development is not just an abuse of power, but a gross violation of the constitution, which Mr. President, the Governors and the Ministers swore to uphold. Indeed any person lending support to such a mission must note that he or she has joined a disreputable assembly bent on pulling the democratic rug from our feet. For the avoidance of doubt, the planners should read the whole of section 188 of the 1999 Constitution as amended. That section provides the tedious process for the removal of a Governor or a Deputy Governor from office. The five members under any guise do not even qualify as one-third of members necessary to sign a notice of allegation as required in subsection 2. Furthermore, subsection 4 provides that two-third of all members of the Assembly must approve, before an investigation into the allegation can be conducted; and same number of Legislators is needed to adopt the findings of the panel, confirming that a Governor is guilty of gross misconduct before he can be removed from office.

Regardless of these very clear provisions of the constitution, there is a palpable fear within Rivers state, if the speaker of the state House of Assembly is to be believed, that five of his colleagues are planning to ride roughshod over the constitution, and declare Amaechi removed from office. According to the speaker, Hon. Amachree, the idea is to precipitate crisis in the state to enable President Goodluck Jonathan declare a state of emergency in the state pursuant to Section 305 of the constitution. To confirm the potency of the allegation, the state House of Assembly has adjourned indefinitely and has accused the group of five of planning to use a fake mace to achieve their unconstitutional plans. While the presidency has denied these allegations, there is serious malcontent across the state as most pro-Amaechi public officials from the state are shouting that the presidency has plans to induce crisis in the state.

If truly President Jonathan is planning to use Aso Rock’s unconstitutional templates, patented by former President Olusegun Obasanjo across Plateau, Oyo, and Bayelsa states against the governors that act against his interest; then he must remember that driving in a reverse gear in a busy road will lead to an accident. No doubt our political terrain is getting busier. As many have sensibly argued, an abuse of presidential powers that an Obasanjo could get away with in his time, a President Jonathan may not get away with. Moreover our politics is supposed to be maturing, and President Jonathan should not seek as alleged to diminish it. It is also important to remind Governor Chibuike Amaechi and his fellow Governors, that they should also stop abusing the constitution by arbitrarily sacking elected local government council officials, in the overall interest of our democracy.

May 7, 2013
Jonathan under fire over Amaechi, Baga massacre

The Presidency and the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) came to blows again yesterday on the state of the nation.

The ACN said Nigeria is “descending into despotism” with the manner the President is running its affairs.

Besides, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) lashed out at Dr. Jonathan for not visiting Baga, the Borno State border town where many were killed when troops clashed with Boko Haram fighters.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ACN said Dr. Jonathan was turning “from a democratically-elected President to an empror – a despot.”

The party alleged that national institutions had been “bastardised and compromised just to get at a political enemy in an open quarrel with Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi”.

But presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, in a statement last night, denied it all.

He said President Jonathan “is a democratically-elected leader who is running a people-oriented, inclusive and progressive government”.

He added that rather than despotism, under the President’s watch, “Nigeria’s democracy has been consolidated; the scope for human freedoms has been further expanded and there is respect for due process and the rule of law”.

Besides the “personal battle”; the President is fighting against the Rivers State government, the ACN recalled that the government attacked former Minister of Education Dr. Oby Ezekwezili and the spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Yushau Shuaib, for raising issues on the state of the polity.

In the statement, Mohammed said: ‘’The Jonathan Administration is anchored on a Transformation Agenda. But the only transformation that we can see is the one from a democratically-elected President to an Emperor, a despot.

‘’If the President is not prevailed upon to change course, Nigeria may be in for another season of anomie, reminiscent of the days of the maximum ruler who took the country to the brink before his sudden demise,’’ it said, adding: “The way President Jonathan is handling his political disagreement with a member of his party, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, has portrayed him as a leader who is willing to jettison democratic ideals and principles on the altar of personal ambition.”

The party wondered why national institutions have to be “bastardized” and “compromised” just to get at a political enemy, specifically citing the role being played by the Ministry of Aviation, its parastatals, such as the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the police, among others, in the Presidency’s clash with Amaechi.

‘’Like we said before, we are not perturbed by what is happening in the PDP. Our main concern is the fact that the party’s internal crisis is overheating the polity and threatening the country’s hard-won democracy. After the theatrics of the aviation agencies and their parent ministry, the EFCC has suddenly realised that the cost of the Rivers State’s plane was inflated by US$10 million while the police have sacked the secretariat of Obio-Akpo Local Government in Rivers. The question is: Who gave the orders for the police to sack the secretariat, and in the process take sides with the President in the political disagreement with the governor?

‘’Which are the other national institutions that will be drafted into this scorched-earth campaign against a perceived non-conformist party member? If the President can go to this length against his own party man, what will he do against the opposition? Why is it that a democratically-elected President cannot be challenged by anyone, whether or not he is a member of his party?’’ it queried.

‘’Also, the ferocity with which the Jonathan Administration went after a former Minister of Education, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, for claiming that President Jonathan frittered away the 67 billion dollars in foreign reserves which she said President Olusegun Obasanjo left behind in 2007; and the fate that befell NEMA spokesman Yushau Shuaib for daring to criticise the lopsided appointments in parastatals under the Ministry of Finance, are glaring actions of an administration that is bent on stifling Freedom of Expression.

‘’These anti-democratic measures will worsen as the 2015 elections approach. Therefore, all lovers of democracy must join us in speaking out against the Jonathan Administration’s descent into despotism. This is the only way to prevent a President’s desperation for power from torpedoing our country’s democracy. After all, a critical benchmark of a democratic society is the existence of a vibrant, free and independent media that will give the citizenry a platform to freely and vigorously debate current issues,’’ the party said.

The ACN also expressed concerns at the growing propensity of the administration to stifle the freedom of expression and freedom of the press, citing the report by the media rights group Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), on the occasion of this year’s World Press Freedom Day on May 3, as a global testimony to the worsening press freedom record of the administration.

‘’According to the CPJ, Nigeria has become one of the worst countries in the world for deadly, unpunished violence against the press. Nigeria and Somalia are also the only African nations listed on the CPJ’s 2013 impunity ranking. Yet, the government has not relented in its attacks against the media: Gestapo-style arrest of Leadership journalists; Fines slammed on Liberty Radio in Kaduna over a listener’s opinion on the so-called Good Governance Tour; Arrest of two journalists of the Kaduna-based Al Mizan newspaper and the ban on a documentary on poverty in Nigeria, just to mention but a few.

May 6, 2013
Jonathan Vs Amaechi

Between President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, it is not a case of saint versus sinner. Both presidential and gubernatorial gladiators have done enough tumbles in the mire to earn a critical questioning of their motives, by the latest political cross-slinging in town. It is no pretty sight.

On the president’s part, the grounding of the Rivers State’s airplane at the Akure Airport in Ondo State, started with tales of some query over the plane’s customs papers, then went on to allegations that the pilot did not file his manifest and flight plan, and climaxed in the final April 27 grounding, on the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA’s claim that the aircraft’s approved clearance certificate had expired since April 2.

Without prejudice to strands of truths in these official claims, it would appear a progressive shopping for excuses to arrive at a pre-determined outcome. For example, if indeed the plane’s approved clearance certificate had expired since April 2, why did NCAA wait till April 27 before doing its statutory duty?

And would it have done it at all, if not prompted by an all-mighty higher quarters that had clear motives to put an uppity governor in his place? So, for close to a month, the governor’s plane had been flying illegally, and NCAA was so star-struck by its gubernatorial splendour that it would take the ugly drama at Akure Airport for the body to scramble awake and enforce what it ought to have enforced since, at best, April 5?

NCAA top officials should be thoroughly ashamed for allowing their agency to be mixed up in petty political bickering. But the Presidency itself is more shame-worthy for abusing a government agency in a bitter partisan dispute. Doyin Okupe, the presidential public affairs spokesperson, must tell to the marines his tale that the presidency had no hand in the grounding of the governor’s plane. From widely reported Jonathan-Amaechi standoff, there is enough motive to justify such supposition, which unfortunately adds no dignity to the presidential office.

On the part of the Rivers State governor, there has not been an appropriate response to the charge that the aircraft’s papers are out of date. If that is true, and since April 2, why was the governor’s crew still flying the plane? Like other Nigerian Big Men, could they be above the law, in the hateful spirit of general official impunity? Shouldn’t the governor, a symbol of the law and ordered society in a democracy, have done the right thing by law and free NCAA the chore of enforcing the law and the humiliation that comes with that to the office of the Governor? These are sickening tell-tales of lack of basic standards.

Besides, the governor has loads of answers to provide on the aircraft and its registration. Though these questions have nothing to do with the plane’s approved clearance certificate, they have everything to do with probity, accountability and transparency in governance. Can an aircraft bought with money appropriated by the Rivers State legislature, and purportedly owned by the Rivers State Government, be registered in the name of a foreign trust? Governor Amaechi and his team must provide satisfactory answers to these probing questions.

But be that as it may, let no one forget that the grounding of the Rivers State plane was only the climax of a running Jonathan-Amaechi battle, which started with Amaechi’s rumoured vice-presidential ambition (hardly a democratic crime), and the presidential desperation to, at all cost, stop the governor from seeking re-election as Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) chairman – all fired by President Jonathan’s all too obvious paranoia over anyone getting in his way for a second term in 2015.

In this raging battle, the victims are not only the two combatants and their respective offices. The bigger victims are subverted institutions. That poses a potent threat to the deepening of democracy and the rule of law.

It is clear how the feuding has undermined NCAA and created grave doubt in the mind of any right thinking person as to its capacity and capability to discharge its statutory duties without external pressure. That is no good news, given that aviation safely is not the greatest forte of the local aviation industry. To avert needless future disasters, aviation agencies must be rid of external influences.

The feuding has also revealed a twin-assault on the office of the President and Governor. By being perceived to project naked power, and attempting to turn the revered office of the President of the Federal Republic into a cheap, all-muscle-no-brain bully in partisan matters, the Jonathan Presidency has denuded that high position of its reverence, splendour and honour. The president and his handlers ought to know that what endear the Presidency are authority, legitimacy and influence, in that progressive order; and never naked power. A presidency that bristles with naked power only diminishes itself and earns itself citizens’ contempt.

But even more alarming, in a federal, democratic setting, is a bullying president that does not particularly care that his powers, no matter how awesome, are limited by law. The spectre of a president grounding the aircraft of a state government, in a federation where the president is to the central government what the governor is to the state government, is absolutely unnerving and condemnable. Both the president and governor are a creation of law; and one cannot assume the complex of a seething headmaster lording it over gubernatorial school boys – except of course, if the Rivers State’s aircraft’s papers are really outdated and proven so. Even then, that would have been the NCAA’s business.

Other victims of institutional subversion in the matter are the Judiciary (which both sides in the state Peoples Democratic Party executive committee dispute seem to have manipulated to suit their purposes) and the Legislature (there is already lunatic talks of six legislators set to impeach a governor in a 36-member Rivers Assembly), not to talk of the possible destruction of the NGF.

The NGF might not be a creation of statutes. But it is a pressure group grounded in the best tradition of democracy to look after the interest of its members. When a president attempts to smash such a group, simply because he finds its real-politik foxtrot too nimble, then that attack is not on that body but on the tenet of free association in a democracy. In a supposed federation that really is a glorified unitary state like Nigeria, such a presidential misadventure becomes all the more sinister. That is why the NGF must stand its ground and withstand any presidential assault. Such assaults are illegitimate, so long as the body conducts its business lawfully and with utmost decency.

Nigeria’s is a tentative democracy that needs all tact to survive its teething years. That is why the Presidency must show more leadership and tact before jumping into a battle just because it thinks it has the power to crush the enemy – real or imagined. That could prove a costly illusion.

May 5, 2013
Amaechi, Wike and battle for Rivers’ political soul

The ongoing crisis in the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the attendant battle for political supremacy among its major stakeholders is redefining the power dynamics of the oil-rich state, reportsAssistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

No one saw it coming. For the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi and his supporters, the unexpected judgment of the Abuja High Court, presided over by Justice Ishak Bello, that sacked the Godspower Ake-led Rivers State PDP executive council, caught everyone unprepared.

In the words of an aide to the governor, “The judgment caught us unawares. We were banking on the fact that since a Port Harcourt High Court had affirmed the election of Ake, another court of concurrent jurisdiction will not decide otherwise. Now, we know better.”

Like a well scripted plot, the flurry of activities that ensued 24hours after the judgment was as dramatic as it was spell binding. First, the PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, inaugurated a new executive council, led by Mr. Felix Abuah, which won the suit against the Ake-led council. The inauguration was witnessed by the Minister of State for Education, Nyesome Wike, former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Austin Opara, among others.

Swearing-in over, Abuah with his supporters stormed Port Harcourt to formally take-over the reins of the party. Their arrival at the Port Harcourt airport was a carnival of sorts, with hundreds of PDP members in the state on hand to welcome them.

From that moment till date, the Rivers’ political space has been on edge with a camp loyal to Amaechi fighting for its political relevance and survival against forces loyal to Wike and by extension, President Goodluck Jonathan, whose relationship with the governor has been frosty in recent times.

Dissolution of LG executives and Amaechi’s counter-move

To stamp his authority on the running of the party, Abuah dissolved 10 local government executive councils of the party, which are believed to be loyal to Amaechi, replacing them with caretaker committees. This move, according to sources, was to obliterate the governor’s structures in the party at the grassroots.

Not done yet, Abuah issued a stern warning to Amaechi and his supporters to stop denigrating Jonathan and the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, or face expulsion from the party. Abuah was obviously referring to a statement by the Chairman, Rivers State caucus in the House of Representatives, Dakuku Peterside, who was alleged to have said that the Abuja High Court ruling that sacked Ake was influenced by ‘the oga and madam at the top.’

Within days, the governor’s camp responded in kind. The Rivers State House of Assembly, whose 27, out of its 32 members, are believed to be loyal to the governor, sacked the Obior/Akpor Local Government Council whose administration is said to be loyal to Wile.

2015 governorship race now dicey

If the present power dynamics in the oil-rich state remains sustained till next year when preparations for the next general elections kicks off in earnest, can the governor determine who succeeds him in 2015?

At the last count, five people are reported to be interested in taking over from Amaechi. They are Wike; Senator representing Rivers East, Magnus Abe; another serving senator, George Sekibo, a former governorship aspirant, Tonye Princewill and Dakuku Peterside, the 42 years-old Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum (Upstream).

Wike, the arrowhead of the battle against Amaechi, has expressed his interest in the race. A die-hard supporter of the president, however, the fact that he hails from Ikwerre like Amaechi, sources say, may count against him.

Some months ago when members of the president’s kitchen cabinet realised that Amaechi’s belligerent posture to Jonathan was getting out of hand, a plot was hatched to cut the governor to size. Wike, it was gathered, was allegedly handed a clear brief to decimate Amaechi’s hold on the state’s politics.

Backed with heavy logistics to make actualisation of the agenda smooth sailing, some of the measures agreed on include first, take control of the state PDP; infiltrate the House of Assembly to turn against Amaechi and also enlist the support of other stakeholders who have one score or the other to settle with the governor.

The Nation gathered that the Presidency has been quite satisfied with the minister’s efforts so far. This factor may work in Wike’s favour when the battle for the 2015 governorship race gets under way.

For Magnus Abe, his candidacy may not fly though many party members in the state believe he has the experience and comportment to be governor. A close associate of the governor, Abe has refrained from making any controversial statement since the crisis in the Rivers PDP started.

Sekibo, The Nation gathered, has been making quiet moves in the last few months in order to become the PDP governorship candidate for Rivers State in 2015. Sources revealed that the fact that he has not openly identified with Amaechi and activities of the state government in the last two years has not gone unnoticed in the Presidency, which may settle for him as a consensus candidate when the dust finally settles.

Is Peterside the choice of Amaechi?

Unconfirmed reports have it that Peterside is the preferred choice of Amaechi to succeed him in 2015. That probably explains why the young lawmaker has been very strident in his criticisms of the Presidency’s perceived onslaught against Amaechi.

Amaechi’s few options

If the governor is eventually forced out or sidetracked in the affairs of Rivers PDP, which the persistent battle against him could lead to, an aide of the governor disclosed that several options are already being looked at to guarantee the latter’s political future.

The first option, according to the source, is to keep exploring the legal angle and hope that the judiciary comes to the governor’s rescue by restoring the Ake-led executive council.

Another option being canvassed by a minority in the governor’s camp is to defect to the emerging All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) or the Labour Party (LP). But in the opinion of the majority, this move may not come that easy. The argument of this school of thought is that with the total control of the structures of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state which is arguably the biggest partner in APC in the state by Dr. Abiye Sekibo, an alleged political foe of the governor, then moving to APC should be foreclosed for now.

Moving to APGA is also fraught with obstacles. The party in the state is controlled by men loyal to ex-governor of the state, Dr. Peter Odili, and led by its 2011 governorship candidate, Sir Celestine Omehia, whose six months tenure as governor in 2007 was cut short by a ruling of the Supreme Court, which sacked him and installed Amaechi. In spite of the public rapprochement of the trio, sources disclosed that their relationship remains frosty.

The LP is also not an option for Amaechi and his supporters, revealed a source within the camp. The reason may not be unconnected to the decision of the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who is the major financier of the party not to do anything that would put him at daggers-drawn with the president.

Amaechi’s no-love-lost with ex-militants

Another factor that may come into play in the 2015 battle is the perceived influence of some ex-militants in the politics of the state.

These ex-militants, it was gathered, enjoy a no-love-lost relationship with Amaechi, who waged a relentless war against them on his assumption of office in 2007. One of them, Ateke Tom, not only had his camp in the outskirts of Port Harcourt destroyed by security agents on the orders of Amaechi, he was also literally declared a persona-non-grata by the state government.

The big question is: will Amaechi overcome his political travails or get consumed by them? Time will tell.

May 5, 2013
Jonathan, Amaechi and wanton pettiness

Some four months into his first (or is it second?) tenure as elected President of Nigeria, Otuoke-born Goodluck Ebele Jonathan gave the nation what could easily pass as the most quoted ironical statement by any Nigerian leader, dead or alive. Compelled by the rash of criticisms against what was perceived then to be a kick-and-follow leadership style with its crying imprimatur of rudderlessness, a howling Jonathan had fired a riposte: “Some Nigerians still want the President of this country to be a lion or a tiger, somebody that has that kind of strength and force and agility to make things happen the way they think. Some others will want the President to operate like an army general, like my Chief of Army Staff commanding his troops. Incidentally, I am not a lion; I am not also a general. Somebody will want the President to operate like the kings of Syria, Babylon, Egypt, the Pharaoh, all – powerful people that you read about in the Bible. They want the president to operate that way, the characters of the Goliath. Unfortunately, I am not one of those. But God knows why I am here, even though I don’t have any of those attributes, or these kinds of characters I have used as an example.”

I recollect vividly that one of my Ogas at the top here, Sam Omatseye, had warned of the dire implication of having at the helm of our tottering democracy, a leader who is still trying to define his place in power. A leader that is neither ruthless nor meek. Here is the one that flounders as the nation’s woes pounds harder; the one that is called clueless but continues to bumble through the tidal waves with ruthless confidence. In the long run, Omatseye noted, such leaders’ ferociousness and cold-bloodedness are better imagined than experienced. All we asked for was a principle directive by which he plans to govern us for four years. What we got was a long-winding response from a man who was clearly on a self-discovery mission—the powerlessness of power. The biblical David is well known to us. But who is this Jonathan that is neither a lion king nor a Goliath? He is not a Pharaoh of old neither is he a modern-day Commander-in-Chief! Should we believe him when he says all he needs to transform Nigeria are our prayers and God’s soothing balm?

Surely, we couldn’t have voted for a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Or did we? On that saddle of leadership is a man who lives according to the dictates of his party’s manifesto and rules of engagement. That explains his principled stance on rotational Presidency when he feigned ignorance of any gentleman’s agreement reached with the North that power must reside within the geo- political divide when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died on the throne. As a sitting President and leader of the party, he could have invoked the powers of his office to circumvent the unwritten agreement. That is what anyone desperate for power would have done. But, Jonathan never did that. He was too refined, too gentlemanly to give a thought to the sheer wiles of despots. In fact, it was on the basis of his democratic commitments that he was dashed the presidential ticket. He never struggled for it because the party apparatchiks appreciated his meekness, his candour and his simplicity. After all, he was once like the rest of us before God blessed him with shoes to slap the village roads!

As a matter of fact, those who craved a ruthless, decisive and all-commanding leader simply because of the general anarchy in the land miss the point. If Jonathan had been that which some persons wanted him to be, he would not have looked the other way when a certain Timipre Sylva held sway in Bayelsa State. But being meek and quiet as a dove, he completely turned a blind eye to the drama as the ‘people’ voted Sylva out of office and installed Seriake Dickson. Even when Sylva hollered that he was the crooked hand behind the dirty political game that pushed off the Governor’s seat, Jonathan was as cold as cucumber. He said he was too busy at the national level to get involved in local politics. Any wonder Dickson has proved to be his own man in the few months he has spent in Bayelsa State Government House?

If Jonathan had heeded our call to be a Pharaoh-King, Goliath-like or a roaring lion, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State would not have had the latitude to exercise his democratic right of free speech against the system the way he has been doing in the last few months. It takes a meek and understanding President to ignore Amaechi’s sacrilegious affront to the Office of the First Lady on the pretext that he wanted to bring development closer to the people. Or is it too much too much if a state chief executive keeps his mouth shut when the wife of the President sneezes? Yet, Jonathan ignored the indiscretion. Today, as Amaechi confronts the greatest political battle of his life from within and without, it is to the President’s credit that he has refused to be dragged into the fight. He has turned deaf ears to the usual beer parlour rumour that he is sworn to ensure that the Rivers Governor never gets re-elected as Chairman of the Governors’ Forum; that he set up the PDP Governors’ Forum to whittle Amaechi’s growing influence; that there was more to the grounding of the Governor’s official jet than the issue of licence and ownership; or that the sudden removal of the state’s party executives and the swearing in of a faction loyal to a minister in his cabinet has the full backing of a roaring President! How dare ascribe such pettiness to a man who has so much on his hands to the extent that he has found it extremely difficult to talk about his political ambition in 2015? Why should he waste his time on a lightweight governor from his backyard when he needs all the energy he can muster to tackle the activities of insurgents and the danger to our socio-economic well -being?

My take on this is simple: this President will not succumb to any blackmail or intimidation that will transform him into what he is not. It is too late in the day for the snail to change its form or for Mr. President to turn into a ruthless, enemy-hounding, fire-spitting leader. He is not petty and he will, therefore, not be dragged into a simple matter of a state chief executive who is going through normal patchy times. And for those who insist he is simply hiding behind the mirror to unleash deadly punches on perceived enemies, here is the simple answer of a meek President: “You know, these days, for you to be an intellectual and for people to listen to you, you have to abuse government.” Interpretation? They are at liberty to run their watery mouths anyhow! Is there really any need for a Tiger to proclaim its tigritude? Shouldn’t action speak louder than words? Stop the presidential abuse now! Or else…ask Amaechi or Sylva!

May 4, 2013
Presidency, Amaechi and the zero-sum game

It was the late M.K.O Abiola, (may his soul find peace) who popularized the Yoruba saying about taking cover behind a solitary finger. Of course this saying exemplifies self-deceit of the most confounding type. There you are ducking behind one finger, knowing that the whole world can see you and the follies you indulge in yet you revel in the pretence that we cannot see you. The whole watching world cringes and suffer painful embarrassment on your behalf, yet you simply stoop there, behind one finger, perhaps stark-assed just doing your thing. It is a state of mind that must have severe psychological underpinnings.

This is the picture that comes to mind as we watch the unfolding drama between the presidency and Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. It is without doubt, all about 2015 presidential election, it is all so obvious and apparent that even babies in diapers can see it. But the Presidency insists it is not, it lives in denial and tries to convince the rest of us that the new-found Amaechi-hounding is an aspect of its so-called Transition Agenda. And in what is clearly becoming a most undignified motor park brawl, is a zero-sum game. The Presidency seems to be stuck with the mindset that so long as this fellow, Amaechi remains standing, it cannot rise or achieve its desired objectives therefore Amaechi must fall.

However, for fear of sounding like Amaechi’s advocate-in-chief, the Rivers State governor, it must be said, is not the problem of the Presidency; not by a long shot. True, the governor is not particularly an easy to like fellow. He is given to being brash and self-assured to the point of cockiness. He is not your diplomatic kind and over the years, he has proven to be a man with a mind of his own who can also stand his ground. Remember his public tiff with the wife of the president, Dame Goodluck Jonathan a few years back during his first term. During an inspection of the Port Harcourt dingy Waterside which Amaechi had proposed to bring down, Mrs. Jonathan had practically wrenched the microphone from the governor and reprimanded him to tread softly about demolishing the shanties right there before the television cameras, all and sundry. Of course Amaechi had gone on with his outlined programme as the elected governor of the state and naturally, to the chagrin of the Presidency.

Since then, close watchers had noticed that there has not been love lost between the first family of Nigeria and the first family of Rivers State. The dam however bust when the first signals emerged that Governor Amaechi who is on his last term as governor, had presidential ambition. To drive home the message, soon enough, posters of Amaechi, appearing as presidential running mate to Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State. Lamido, considered one of the up-and-doing governors from the north combining with Amaechi, a much touted champion performer would unsettle any sitting president who still has an ambition to continue in the top job.

Though Amaechi has denied that he had no such ambition but the fact of his denial can be said to be true to type for the Nigerian politician (they keep denying until “after a far-reaching consultation with their families, associates and the good people of their constituency who would insist that they are God-sent for the job.”) Since then, the line was drawn, so to speak, between Amaechi and the presidency. Amaechi also sat atop the all-powerful Nigerian Governor Forum (NGF) which could swing not a few important national decisions especially on the political realm. When Amaechi’s first term of two years as NGF chairman ended early in the year, the Presidency made its first decisive move against ‘enemy’ Amaechi by making sure he never returns. The move remains stalemated till date. Even the hurried formation of the ruling party’s own governors’ forum (which makes up the majority of governors in Nigeria) has not won the Presidency any silverware yet in the ‘war’ to oust Amaechi and claim the soul of Rivers State.

As the day draws by, the Presidency gets frantic if not desperate, getting itself deeper and deeper into an affray most murky. Today the States party executive instigated to turn against the governor and its leader in the State and render him ineffectual and impotent. It has never happened before; it is just like the ruling party sidetracking the president, its very heart and leader at the centre. Can the tail wag the dog? As this move did not seem to work, another day breaks and the Task force (one wants to wager that there must be a Task Force to Rein in Amaechi sequestered somewhere ‘working’ frantically on this important national ‘project’) throws up the Rivers State government jet shenanigan. All of a sudden the big men’s private jets have become a matter for due process and all that jazz. I want to wager again that no big man’s jet in Nigeria can stand any thorough due process check: yes, from the Presidency to the men of God; hardly any of them craft can stand a serious scrutiny.

Yet another gambit seems to corral the State House of Assembly to ‘putsch’ the governor out of office. When that one too collapsed around their bumbling ears, they seek to ostracise the pro-Amaechi honorable members which happen to be in the majority. Left with remnants that cannot constitute a majority, who can tell what the next move would be.

Make a note of it, this fight will be like the fight of the eunuchs: long, bloody and sustained. The Jonathan’s Presidency has continued to pinion itself as unforgiving especially at the president’s home-front – ask Ibori, ask Timipreye Silva and Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to some extent. How this particular sword fight will play out is uncertain but let us remind also that Amaechi is hard-headed, a dogged fighter, along distance runner and somewhat cerebral to boot. He has also not done badly in running the affairs of the state even though this column thinks he has not adopted the right template like most other Nigerian governors of today, but on a scale, he has been outstanding.

While this fight simmers, Nigerian are the ones caught in the cross fire, picking up the stray bullets. Need it be repeated that Amaechi is not the problem of the Presidency. The presidency is simply a victim of its own inefficiency and inability to deliver on its election promises. We think that the Presidency can simple choose to ignore Amaechi and Rivers State to ‘death’, pull a few strategic triggers and have the entire citizenry campaigning for it. I think Nigerians wish for a Presidency that will simply see Amaechi as the distraction he truly is and face the crucial job at hand. Nigeria is in crisis, very deep crisis. If, therefore, a dozen Amaechi’s are brought to their knees or even put down, the president will not stand taller than he is. In fact, in the midst of all this, the president seems to grow smaller while Amaechi grows larger.

May 3, 2013