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Tag: Governor Rotimi Amaechi

  • Election deaths: Amaechi to raise probe panel

    Election deaths: Amaechi to raise probe panel

    •PDP thugs kill APC chieftain, his four children in Rivers
    •Four others also shot dead •Curfew imposed on Omoku

    The Rivers State Government is to set up a Judicial Commission of Enquiry to probe the spate of violent deaths in the state in the build-up to the March 28 presidential election.

    Governor Rotimi Amaechi told All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters at a victory rally in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state that the deaths would be avenged by the law in line with his administration’s resolve to protect lives and property.

    Nine people, including a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and three of his sons, have been confirmed killed in the latest political violence in the state

    “Anybody found guilty will go to jail. I didn’t set up administrative inquiry. I set up judicial commission of enquiry. It means that the man sitting there is sitting as a judge. He is not sitting as chairman, he is sitting as a judge, if you are found guilty, straight to jail,” he said.

    Initial reports said seven people died only for the Police to put the death toll at nine.

    Amaechi bemoaned what  he called police brutality on innocent voters in the state during the presidential election, but was optimistic that the situation would improve substantially in the April 11 Governorship/House of Assembly polls following victory at the polls of General Muhammadu Buhari in the country’s March 28 Presidential Election.

    He said: “This time, election will be peaceful, free and fair. Last time, we saw policemen thumb printing for them. This time they will not. If they do that, take their name, take their number, and record them for us.

    The Director General of the Buhari/Osinbajo Presidential Campaign Organisation reviewed his political sojourn and declared that he could not have made a better choice in dumping the PDP for the APC.

    He said: “People blamed me for leaving PDP to APC and I said they are wrong. They are wrong because God has directed that we should move to APC and because God said it and I have left them.

    “I made it clear that God has said we would win Saturday’s (March 28) election and I said we would be fighting with police and army, but God would be behind us and if God is behind us, we would win, didn’t we win?

    “They went to churches to preach. They went to incite our people in churches and said that Gen. Buhari is a Muslim, he will Islamise Nigeria, and I said I did not see that. I said to them I am a Christian, I am a Catholic, nobody can Islamise me.  This afternoon, I observed the Catholic ceremonies.  On Sunday, I will go to church to pray to my God and thank Him for bringing victory to us.”

    He reiterated that president-elect Gen. Buhari would not Islamise Nigeria. “I made it clear that God has said we would win Saturday’s election and I said we would be fighting with police and army but God would be behind us and if God is behind us, we would win, didn’t we win?”

    He urged the people to be peaceful in the forthcoming governorship election in the state and vote for the APC governorship candidate.

    “We would go out and bring in the votes. My phone will be open on that day, if you are bringing in the votes and any policeman harasses you, don’t fight back. Just give me the person’s name and number.

    “I say they have the police, they have the army and I told you they don’t have God. Didn’t I tell you that? Have you seen God’s work now?” he asked.

    Yesterday, the police confirmed that an APC   leader, Chief Christopher Adube, his four children and driver were  killed by  gunmen suspected to be political thugs at Obor and  Obrikom in Omoku Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government area (ONELGA) of the  state.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ahmad K. Mohammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed this via a text message yesterday.

    Killed with Adube in his compound were  Joy, Lucky, John, Samuel  (his children), his driver named as Iyke Ogarabe and two others.

    One other person was also reportedly killed at the APC party secretariat in the area.

    Mohammad said the hoodlums struck at about 7:30 pm on Friday, shooting sporadically.

    Several other people were wounded.

    The police said the hoodlums also stormed the residence of the APC member representing ONELGA constituency in the state House of Assembly, Vincent Ogbuagu.

    They killed his gateman and torched the house.

    Ogbuagu is seeking re-election into the assembly.

    The Police said a manhunt for the killers has begun and appealed for useful information that could lead to their arrests.

    Members of the APC in the state and a son of the murdered party chieftain, Chamberlane Adube, condemned the killing and called for the immediate arrest of the killers and their sponsors.

    He said his father died because of his support for APC and its governorship candidate Dakuku Peterside.

    He said: “My father died for supporting APC. He was our bread winner, there is nothing again left for us to survive on. I call for justice on the killing of my father, brothers, sister, uncle and our driver. Let the police not politicize this killing, it is one too many.”

    The ONELGA council chairman, Austin Ahiamadu and the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, also condemned the killings which they described as politically motivated.

    Ahiamadu said: “This killing was politically motivated. Why should nine people die at a go without the police making any arrest?

    “All the killings in ONELGA have all been against the APC.I use this opportunity to call on the police in the state ahead of the Saturday’s election to sit up and do their job professionally to avoid further violence.”

    He announced the imposition of dusk to done curfew in the LGA (ONELGA), (between 6pm and 7am), to forestall a breakdown of law and order.

    Semenitari said: “All the people killed in the Friday attack at Omoku are APC members. We have consistently complained that in Omoku we are in a situation where we are at war. People are being killed.

    “This is not the first time, this is clearly unacceptable. We have reported to the security agencies.

    “It is clear to us that the DPO in Omoku should be picked up.

    “We are asking that the perpetrators of this act should be apprehended and brought to book, together with their sponsors.”

    Residents quoted Adube’s killers as saying, after the attack, that they had warned him to renounce his membership of the APC to no avail.

    Amaechi and the APC governorship candidate in the April 11 elections, Dakuku Peterside had, at different times, raised the alarm about planned attacks on their supporters by the PDP.

    Peterside in a petition to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), last month said no fewer than 30 APC members had been killed in the state.

    The police disputed his claim.

  • Rivers PDP: Wobbling on to 2015 elections

    Rivers PDP: Wobbling on to 2015 elections

    As Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders intensify the agitation for power shift to the riverine area, the camp of the governorship aspirant, Chief Nyemsom Wike, is swimming against the tide, insisting that the former Minister of State for Education, who hails from Ikwerre, the birthplace of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, should fly the ticket. Correspondent CLARICE AZUATALAM examines the hard choices before the opposition party.

    Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is at the  crossroads. The agitation for power shift to the riverine area is mounting. But, it appears that the national leadership of the party is bent of fielding former Minister of State for Education Chief Nyensom Wike – to the consternation  of agitators who believe that power should rotate between the upland and lowland areas.

    Governor Rotimi Amaechi is working hard to hand over to another All Progressives Congress (APC) governor in next year’s election. But, while the APC is zoning the governorship slot to the riverine area, in the spirit of equity, justice and fair play, the PDP seems to be indifferent to the popular yearning.

     

    Multiple crises

     

    The crisis started last year when an Abuja High Court sacked the former Chairman, Chief Godspower Ake, and the Secretary, Hon. Adokiye Oruwari.

    Ake and Oruwari were replaced by Chief Felix Obuah and Hon. Walter Ibiba. Obuah has never hidden the fact that he is out to do the bidding of his benefactor, Wike, who is the leading aspirant.

    The former minister launched his campaign structure, the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI). The activities of the Wike/Obua coalition triggered the crisis that polarised the House of Assembly. When it reached the climax, it resulted into the fracas that nearly claimed the life of a lawmaker, Hon Michael Chinda. That was when five legislators wanted to impeach the Speaker of the House, Hon. Otelemaba Dan-Amachree and replace him with Hon. Evans Bipi, as a prelude to the to impeachment of the governor.

    For about six months, the House was sealed up by the police. Subsequently, the lawmakers were sitting at the old auditorium of Government House. The anti-Amaechi lawmakers shunned the sittings, despite pleas by their colleagues.

     

    Judicial crisis

     

    From the legislature, the trouble infiltrated into the judicial arm of government, following the retirement of the former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Iche Ndu.

    While the governor wanted to replace Ndu with Justice Peter Agumagu, the National Judiciary Council (NJC) insisted that the preferred person for the seat should be Justice Daisy Okocha. Both judges are people of pedigree and repute. But, Amaechi camp feared that, if he did not have his way, his foes could penetrate the judiciary and orchestrate his removal.

    Later, some courts were attacked and judiciary staff, who said that their lives were not safe, decided to down tools since April 10.

     

    Crisis of zoning

     

    Many believe that Wike is not favoured by zoning. But, he has consistently said that being an Ikwere man is not an obstacle. He therefore, came up with the concept of “Ikwerre North and Ikwerre South,” pointing out that  Amaechi is from Ikwerre North and he is from Ikwerre South. In fact, various groups have endorsed him for the governorship. But, his claim has not wiped out the upland/riverine dichotomy that has made zoning more compelling. Therefore, the plot to make Wike the consensus candidate has not gone down well with stakeholders.

    Party members who have objected to his candidature have been edged out of the party. One of them is the former lawmaker and Commissioner for Transport, Hon. Elemchukwu Ogbowu. Another chieftain, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, has also suffered the same fate for condemning the endorsement.

    To resolve the zoning crisis, the Concerned Rivers State PDP Stakeholders met on September 23 at Delta Hotels, Old GRA, Port Harcourt. The group is led by former Commissioner for Education Prof Israel Owate. But, the move was allegedly frustrated by GDI members. There was commotion at the venue. Some people started throwing chairs and tables. Owete could not flag off the meeting, until the police restored order.

    The former commissioner, who is a personal friend of the President, accused Obuah of running a two-man executive committee and selling out to Wike and his group. He also said the executive committee was intimidating members, adding that their activities led to the crisis in the House and the suspension and expulsion of some lawmakers.

    Owate argued that the Abuja High court judgment that brought in Obuah and Ibiba did not sack the remaining 12 members of the State Working Committee, and ward and local government officers. He said the politics of exclusion is unconstitutional, stressing that it has turned the party to a “limited liability company of those who claimed they incorporated it in the Abuja High court.”

    Owate said that Obuah’s style of leadership “has adversely affected and disrupted the functioning of Rivers state PDP at the ward, local government, senatorial districts and state levels as the party does not have a proper membership register and does not have legitimate and properly constituted party officers at the various levels.”

    The former university don chided Obah for highhandedness, which led to the alienation of many members. But, he also chided Amaechi for defecting to the APC along with prominent PDP members. He said the defection “has grave implications for the next presidential and governorship elections.”

     

    Stakeholders’ demands

     

    Owate and his team made a six point-demand. These include the dissolution of the two-man committee, the re-registration of party members to produce an authentic membership registers and the re-integration of all returning PDP members most of who are currently stranded.

    The group also called for the nullification of the arbitrary suspension and expulsion of members and “the implementation of the PDP constitution, particularly the section that guarantees the policy of rotation and the zoning of party and public elective offices, in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness.”

     

    Failed reconciliation

     

    After the meeting in Port-Harcourt, the National Working Committee, in what appeared to be an attempt to broker peace among the stakeholders, scheduled a reconciliation meeting. But, it was cancelled at the last minute.

    The Administrative Secretary of PDP in the Southsouth zone, Mr. Usen Edemekong, said it was cancelled because it coincided with the PDP unity rally in Benin City, Edo state. But, the rally took place three days after the original date of the meeting. Party members were angry. They thought that the reconciliation meeting would give them an opportunity to  address the issues raised in the 22 petitions written by aggrieved members.

    A governorship aspirant, Beks Dagogo- Jack, said he had no idea of what prompted the sudden postponement of such an important meeting.”I came for the reconciliation meeting, but we were surprised to be told at the secretariat that the meeting was postponed. I think that it is important for us to meet and reconcile our aggrieved members”, he said.

    A chieftain, High Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, said he was worried that such a crucial meeting could be cancelled, even when it has been widely publicized in the media. He alleged that the party has violated its constitution by declaring that no political office would be zoned.

    “The Obuah- led PDP has violated the rule of the party and we don’t want PDP to fail in the state in the 2015 election. Certain provisions of the party restrain the state executive from suspending or expelling certain officers of the party. But Obuah has expelled all commissioners in the state and the entire members of the House of Assembly.

    “Nyesom Wike has boasted that he was going to buy everybody that is necessary when the time comes. If this peace meeting does not hold, then, I am afraid, the PDP in Rivers State may be heading for the rocks.”

    He added: “We want the state PDP to zone all the political offices because the party’s constitution and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria make provisions for the rotation of offices.”

    The National Executive Committee has kept mute since then.

     

    Complaints about injustice

     

    The aggrieved members have complained to the Prof. Iya Abubakar-led panel at the Legacy House, Abuja on October 9.

    This also resulted to a rain of blows at Owate, Sara-Igbe and others by thugs allegedly brought in and aided by Wike. Former Commissioner for Water Resources Mr Lolo Ibienye maintained that he was assaulted over his stand on zoning. Sara-Igbe claimed that he was manhandled and his documents and N50, 000 were taken away from him. He said: “If that is what is called reconciliation, I don’t see how that can be reconciliation. The same Wike himself is tearing the PDP apart.

    “And if that continues, the PDP will fail. Mr President should listen to us or he will fail in Rivers state. Politics is a game of interest. Our interest is that governorship must rotate in Rivers state.”

    The NEC has kept mute. When the National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, visited Rivers State, he gave Wike a pat on the back, saying that “Wike, you are on track.” Other governorship aspirants were not around to receive Mu’azu because they said that they were not informed of his visit.

     

    Escalation of crisis

     

    No fewer than 16 aspirants from other ethnic groups are in the race. They are up in arms against Wike. They have condemned his endorsement. They also have grudges over the recent flawed ward congresses. In their view, Wike and his group had hijacked the process and appointed their supporters as members of the Appeal Panel. The said the NEC should “adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices” as it is done in Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Adamawa and Enugu states. In fact, they called for the disqualification of Wike for peace to return to the troubled chapter. According to them, “anything to the contrary shall jeopardise the success of the party in Rivers state.”

     

    APC and zoning

     

    Amaechi, an Ikwerre, has is at the forefront of the push for zoning. He has said that nobody from his ethnic group will succeed him.

    The aggrieved PDP members also believe this line of thought, saying that it is against the tradition for one ethnic group to dominate an elective office. They pointed out that, since Amaechi took over from Sir Celestine Omehia, also an Ikwerre man, it would be unfair for another Ikwerre man to govern the state for now.

    This line of argument was also towed by a Board of Trustee member of PDP from Rivers state, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas, who warned the party against fielding Wike for the governorship. The Obuah-led executive immediately attacked Graham-Douglas, accusing him anti-party activity.But there are indications that Graham-Douglas has since mended fence with Wike and his group.

    A source said that the NEC has believed believed the message sold to it by Wike, who was also the Chairman of Amaechi Campaign Organisation in 2011, that it was his efforts that brought the two million votes, which President Jonathan got in the election.

     

    Wike’s strengths

     

    Wike controls the party machinery. His men are state, local government and ward leaders of the party. As minister, he  implemented a lot of “stomach infrastructure” programmes for his supporters. At the primaries, he will beat other aspirants.

     

    PDP at crossroads

     

    However, Wike’s victory at the primaries may not make the PDP to lose the state in next year’s elections. If he is prevented from contesting, he will feel a sense of personal loss and his camp may not work for the party.

  • Jonathan rules like Abacha, says Amaechi

    Jonathan rules like Abacha, says Amaechi

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has likened President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to that of late Military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

    Amaechi said the use of the military under Jonathan was “alarming”.

    He spoke in Abuja on an African Independent Television (AIT) programme, tagged: ‘Focus Nigeria’, which was monitored by The Nation.

    Amaechi, who dwelt on the rift between him and Jonathan, said: “The President is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am the Governor of Rivers State. It is an issue between the president and the governor. He presides over the country, I govern Rivers State, and he cannot govern Rivers State on my behalf.

    “The wife (Patience Goodluck Jonathan) should stop interfering with the governance of Rivers State. Is that a lie? Is that not a problem now in PDP? Oyo complained; Rivers State is complaining; everybody is complaining about that. I complained earlier. I want to be left alone to manage the responsibilities of governance.

    “The fact is that you can compare his government to Abacha’s government; what is the difference? If you compare again the use of military under Abacha and how the President is using the military against the people, can you see the truth?”

    On the election of Governors’ Forum, Amaechi explained: “The President has no business interfering with the election of the Chairman of Governor’s Forum and I did advise them to please advice the President not to interfere because I will defeat them”.

    On Ogoni, the governor noted: “Nothing has happened as regards the clean-up of Ogoni. What will he tell the Ogoni people when he starts campaigning? What about trust?

    “It is not personal; I respect the President as a person. There is no morality in governance, and there is no goodness in governance, if you want to be moral or be a good man, go to church.”

  • Amaechi, PDP at war over choice of governorship candidate

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State chapter, has disagreed with Governor Rotimi Amaechi on the choice of governorship candidate for 2015 election in the Niger Delta state.

    The opposition PDP, through its Rivers Chairman, Chief Felix Obuah, yesterday in Port Harcourt,the state capital, insisted that the party had eminently qualified and unbeatable governorship aspirants, from whom the party’s standard bearer would be picked by the delegates at the primaries.

    Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), declared that the PDP in Rivers state lacked quality governorship candidate and had nothing to offer the people in the 2015 general elections, noting that the PDP in Rivers is made up of corrupt politicians.

    The NGF chairman disclosed that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was also targeting 69,000 supporters for its mega rally on October 25, to mark seven years of Amaechi’s Supreme Court victory of October 25, 2007, through the landmark judgment.

    The Rivers  State branch of the PDP alleged that the NGF chairman only demonstrated outright ignorance and suppression of facts and reality.

    Amaechi, during an inspection tour of the Adokiye Amiesimaka Sports Complex, newly built by his administration, near the Port Harcourt International Airport, maintained that the APC is the party to beat in Rivers.

    The Rivers State governor said: “Rivers people need to vote out PDP and vote in APC in 2015. The quality of candidates PDP is offering are people who are prepared to cart away the state’s funds.”

    The Rivers State governor and the outgoing Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, who is scheming to succeed Amaechi, are both Ikwerre.

    The NGF chairman said: “There are people whose interests you must protect. Ikwerre people were not born into the state just to become governors at the expense of other Rivers people. If we cried against injustice when the Bayelsa people were with us, then Ikwerre people should not lead the onslaught to say that Ikwerre must always get governorship because they have the number to achieve that.”

    It will be recalled that the Rivers State Chairman of the APC, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, earlier stated in Port Harcourt that the resignation of Wike would help to formally bury the dead PDP in Rivers state.

  • Mr. Lion

    Mr. Lion

    •How could Mr Mbu, a cop have tamed an elected governor? Food for thought

    Former Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr Mbu Joseph Mbu, now an assistant inspector-general of police, once again allowed the politician in him to take precedence over his calling as a disciplined policeman. Speaking while handing over to the new FCT Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, in Abuja, Mbu referred to himself as a ‘lion’ who tamed the ‘leopard’ in Port Harcourt. Although Mbu did not name names, it was clear that he was referring to Governor Rotimi Amaechi of the state, with whom he had a running battle for the better part of his tenure as police commissioner in the state.

    “I advise you (CP) to carry the senior officers along in your administration. It is only a lion that can tame a leopard. I tamed the leopard in Port Harcourt; each time he remembers my face, he would remember how I tamed him,” Mbu said at the occasion.

    Mr Mbu was apparently reacting to a speech made by Governor Amaechi when he received the outgoing commissioner of police and also newly promoted assistant inspector-general of police, Mr Tunde Ogunshakin, and other top police commissioners, during a courtesy visit on him at the Government House, Port Harcourt. Amaechi said the former police commissioner deviated from his professional calling but resorted instead to taking sides with politicians in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Amaechi’s words: “Unlike Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, who clearly showed us that he was a registered member of PDP, in your own case (Ogunsakin), you know that, we had disagreement, but you realised your responsibility to ensure the security of lives and property as the paramount responsibility of the Nigeria Police”.

    This was fair comment. Even if it was not, there should not be any doubt as to who is in charge in a state between the governor and the police commissioner. It indeed is an aberration for a police commissioner to see himself as a lion where a sitting governor, popularly elected by the people, is. It is the height of impudence which speaks volumes about our warped federalism and makes a mockery of the law which says the governor is the chief security officer of the state. How can the governor be the chief security officer  when he has no control over the police boss who sees himself as answerable to the inspector-general of police or even, in Mr Mbu’s case, answerable directly to the President or, more specifically, the First Lady.

    Such insubordination never happened and indeed could never have happened even in the years of military rule in the country, when arbitrariness reigned supreme. When governors barked out orders to police commissioners in the military era, they were not only carried out, they were performed. That we saw the kind of gross insubordination by a police boss to a sitting governor during Mr Mbu’s time as police commissioner in Rivers is symptomatic of the new lows that many institutions of state have fallen under the Goodluck Jonathan presidency.

    We congratulate Mr Ogunsakin for restoring the confidence of the people of the state in the police force and wish him success in his new assignment. The state has indeed benefited immensely from the professional way he handled his assignments within about seven months. We can only hope his successor would follow his good steps, bearing in mind that it is true that the people of Rivers would continue to remember both Mr Mbu and Mr Ogunsakin as police commissioners who served in the state, but in different ways.

    In the same vein, we congratulate Mr Mbu on his promotion. At least he acted out the script of those who posted him to Rivers State diligently. He is apparently still basking in the euphoria of his elevation, hence his seeing himself as a lion; this is understandable. Anyway, we think Mr Mbu would be more useful to Nigeria in Sambisa Forest at this point in time when the country is in dire need of lions to tame the many leopards masquerading as Boko Haram there.

  • Amaechi promises steady power supply by 2015

    Amaechi promises steady power supply by 2015

    The Rivers State Government  hopes  to achieve uninterrupted power supply by next year.

    It has constructed new power plants and rehabilitated old ones to realise its dream, Governor Rotimi Amaechi told participants at the just-concluded Energy Environment and Investment Forum (EEIF) in Port Harcout, the state capital.

    The forum sought to find solutions to energy challenges and also connect project owners and solution providers to investors and buyers from the public and private sectors  to promote sustainable development of Africa.

    Amaechi explained that the event is part of his administration’s efforts to learn, share, review and take stock of the actions taken in the past while realigning its policy guidelines to achieve set objectives.

    He noted that with what the government has achieved in terms of power projects and other power projects being pursued by his administration, uninterrupted power supply is possible by next year.

    The governor said no society can  reduce poverty without adequately addressing its energy needs.

    He said: “Energy is the bond that connects economic, social and environmental development. It is a launching pad for economic growth and plays a pivotal role in any attempt to achieve sustainable development.”

    Amaechi noted that as a state whose local economy is highly dependent on revenue derived from finite and non-renewable hydrocarbon extraction, there is need to be proactive in every policy decision, adding that the state government has begun work on  various power projects to increase availability of electricity in the state.

    “We have constructed new power plants and rehabilitated old ones. Our focus is to achieve uninterrupted power supply across the state in 2015,” he added.

    He said the state government embarked on massive power development targeting 715 mega watts (MW) of electricity to ensure adequate power supply and is currently discussing with the Federal Government to secure approval to distribute its power.

    Besides, the state accounts for over 50 per cent of the oil revenue of the country and holds about 95 per cent of the natural gas put at about 200 trillion standard cubic feet.

    This provides enormous investment opportunities in both the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, he added.

  • Wike’s ‘betrayal’ was predicted by cleric, says Amaechi

    Wike’s ‘betrayal’ was predicted by cleric, says Amaechi

    •Gov claims Minister swore with lives of his children not to betray him

    •I’ll mobilise Rivers people to thwart his governorship bid

    Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State said yesterday that he was forewarned a long time ago that the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, would betray him.

    Speaking at the Saint Barth’s Anglican Church, Bera-Ogoni in Gokana LGA of the state, during the thanksgiving by Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, the governor said that the famous cleric, Apostle Johnson Suleiman, predicted in 2011 that Wike was going to betray him.

    The prediction, according to him, was made soon after he recommended the then Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt for ministerial appointment.

    The minister is now the arrowhead of the opposition to Amaechi ahead of the 2015 election.

    The governor said he did not believe or take the prediction seriously more so when the minister even swore by the lives of his children that he would never betray him (Amaechi).

    He said he has done so much for Wike to repay him with evil.

    The governor cited his intervention when the people of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area vowed to deny Wike a second term as chairman of the council over alleged disrespect for elders, arrogance and poor performance.

    He said: “Senator Magnus Abe said he does not believe in prophesies, but a prophet came and told me not to make Nyesom Wike a minister, because he would betray me. The name of the prophet is Apostle Suleiman. I told the prophet to pray against it.

    “When I confronted Nyesom Wike in the presence of Chima Chinye, he swore with his children that he would not betray me. Any man that swears with the lives of his children is a wicked man. He does not appreciate those children at all.”

    The governor said: “I am a prophet on my own. I prophesy to people. I told you before that I fasted for 10 months and I saw a lot of things, beyond what the prophet told me.

    “I saw all the things that came to pass in my governorship. In fact, the prophet told me then that I would be governor and after that, these were things that would happen; and I told him that they were already revealed to me.”

    Wike has repeatedly denied betraying the governor, saying he was one of the very few that stood by him when the legal battle to claim his governorship mandate raged.

    Abe was on January 12 shot by policemen during the inauguration of the pro-Amaechi’s Save Rivers Movement (SRM), Obio/Akpor LG chapter and had to be flown to London for further medical treatment.

    He returned to Nigeria a week ago.

    Abe, at the thanksgiving, displayed the doctor’s report from the Princess Grace Hospital, London confirming that he was shot.

    The State Police Command under the immediate past commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu had denied that his men shot the senator.

    The senator said: “Anybody who says I do not have any cause to thank God, is an idiot. I just want all of you to join me to thank God for saving my life. People were here, busy organising demonstrations, to show that nothing happened to me. I do not begrudge them, because we live in a society where human lives are not valued.

    “If it is where human lives are valued, nobody would do that, when someone has gone through the pains I went through. When I got to a society where they value human lives (United Kingdom), their reaction was quite different from the reactions from my home country. That is the difference between Nigeria and places that value human lives.”

    The Bishop, Diocese of Ogoni (Anglican Communion),the Rt. Rev. Solomon Gberegbara, in his sermon, thanked God for saving Abe’s life and prayed for His continuous protection to the family of the ex-Rivers SSG.

  • Pro-Wike lawmakers to impeach Amaechi, deputy

    Pro-Wike lawmakers to impeach Amaechi, deputy

    Reminiscent of the July 9 fracas on the floor of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Port Harcourt, the six lawmakers opposed to Governor Rotimi Amaechi are set to sit today to begin impeachment proceedings against governor.

    It was learnt last night that the impeachment was not targeted at only Amaechi, who is the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), his deputy, Tele Ikuru, is also to be removed.

    The six legislators are being backed by the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike.

    The sitting will be presided over by the self-acclaimed Speaker of the Rivers Assembly, Evans Bipi, who represents Ogu/Bolo Constituency, and according to investigation, he will be made the acting governor, after removing Amaechi and Ikuru.

    The anti-Amaechi lawmakers, to be backed by policemen and the Armed Forces, will first declare vacant the seats of the 25 legislators loyal to the NGF chairman and to be accused of defecting to the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The pro-Wike lawmakers are Bipi, Michael Okechukwu Chinda (Obio/Akpor II constituency), Kelechi Godspower Nwogu (Omuma), Martins Amaewhule (Obio/Akpor I), Victor Ihunwo (Port Harcourt III) and Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, the Chief Whip (Andoni).

    Ibani, until his December 1 defection to Wike’s camp, was one of the 27 pro-Amaechi members of the Rivers House of Assembly.

    The anti-Amaechi legislators are basing their decision to sit today on yesterday’s judgment of the Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, presided over by Justice Ahmed Mohammed, which declared as unconstitutional, the taking over of the Rivers House of Assembly by the National Assembly.

    The Deputy Speaker of the Rivers Assembly, Leyii Kwanee, a lawyer, however, said that Amachree remained the Speaker of the Assembly, stressing that illegality, impunity and lawlessness would not be condoned.

    Kwanee assured that the 25 lawmakers would soon sit, but there must be adequate security, to prevent a repeat of July 9 and 10 fracas and confrontation in the Rivers Assembly.

  • ‘Amaechi on rescue mission in APC’

    ‘Amaechi on rescue mission in APC’

    House of Representatives member Hon. Dakuku Peterside spoke with Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi on the defection of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other issues.

    Recently Governor Rotimi Amaechi defected to All Progressive Congress (APC). What in your reaction?

    You need to understand the issues to understand, if the move is justified or not. There are two strands of the issue. The first has to do with the direction the country is going and the second is the interest and aspiration of Rivers people within the context of Nigeria. In recent times, there is anxiety in the country about the insecurity, rising wave of corruption, impunity and retarded growth, generally, and many patriots are concerned. All these concerns are linked to the quality of leadership of the country and the political party that plays the role of a facilitator, like in other democracies. Unfortunately, it appears the leadership of the country is not sensitive enough to the need to urgently tackle these issues and the party that is in power at the centre, by its conduct and lack of internal democracy in all facets, is aggravating the matter. The party, in this case, the PDP, does not respect its rules, does not accommodate divergent opinions and it has made no effort to harness the collective ideas and energies of its members. The result is what we are seeing today. The second strand of the crisis is the corporate interest of Rivers State, which is under serious threat.

    How is the interest of Rivers State under threat and how does that justify the defection of Governor Amaechi to another party?

    Politics, as you know, is a means of allocating resources. Parties are vehicles through which politics is played to optimise the benefit for the people. Parties to a reasonable extent determine outcomes in a political process. The scenario is this; PDP as a political party superintends over the expropriation of Rivers common wealth, I mean our resources, deny us even the least benefit for our modest contributions and does nothing to advance our development in anyway. Only a man who is pursuing his own selfish interest will remain in such a platform, to the detriment of the people you are on oath to serve. Can anybody point to one federal project of worth going on in Rivers State under the present administration? Even, the blind can see that there is a calculated attempt to undermine the interest of Rivers State. No principled leader who has the interest of the people at heart will stomach that at the alter of regional sentiments.

    Is the denial of Rivers State development benefits the reason why the governor moved to another party?

    Yes, among many other reasons. You see, people have different reasons and different incentives for being in politics. Some are in politics to make as much personal wealth as possible through the instrumentality of power. Others want to serve the people and transform their socio-economic status and yet, others to cause confusion and derive joy from the confusion. These different reasons determine the choices we make. By now, it is obvious to the least discerning that the likes of Governor Amaechi are in power and politics for the higher interest of the people. This compelling interest will not allow him fold his hands and allow the wealth of Rivers people be expropriated under his watch, their rights and entitlements trampled upon and the people treated as if they do not matter. If Governor Amaechi has kept quiet, history would have been most unkind to him. For standing up for Rivers people and their collective aspiration, history will celebrate him.

    Is there no better way of going about it than this present approach?

    There are always many ways to pursue a course, but that does not change the fact that there is an injury or that there is an attempt to compromise the interest of Rivers State or that the PDP has been most unfair to Rivers State. Nobody is addressing the root or causative factors of the crisis. Rather, we are concerned with the ceremonials. Nobody has said that the PDP has served the interest of Rivers State or that the government at the centre has been fair to Rivers State. Even, those who appear superficially to be supporting the Government at the centre all the time say to me – this Government has been most unfair to Rivers State. I have heard this consistently and it is nauseating how unprincipled our politicians can be.

    The picture we have is that heavy weight politicians in Rivers State are not with him because of the perception that he is pursuing his own ambition?

    This is a deliberate attempt to disinform the populace. I am sure that propaganda is being spread by some selfish politicians that have lost touch with the reality in Rivers State I can beat my chest and say that the majority of principled politicians in Rivers State, who means well for the state, are with Governor Amaechi because they know he is fighting for the interest of Rivers state. It is unfortunate that in this clime, politics is an enterprise that is not governed by principles but by opportunistic selfish tendency. In many cases, opportunistic men thrive at the expense of the general good, but the people are now wiser. They know the difference between “stomach infrastructure politicians” and those who genuinely want to change society for good. Very often, the intelligence, determination and courage of our people are underrated. Rivers people are solidly behind Governor Amaechi. One way of measuring the support base is the number of elected officials with the governor and his capacity for resilience. Another will be the result of the forthcoming elections after the whole noise.

  • Missing $5b: Amaechi raises four posers for Okonjo-Iweala

    Missing $5b: Amaechi raises four posers for Okonjo-Iweala

    Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State yesterday took Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iwela to task on the Federal Government’s handling of the national economy, in the latest round of confrontation between the governor and functionaries of the federal government.

    He raised four posers for the minister on the state of the nation’s economy in response to the minister’s claim that he knew everything about the $5billion said to be missing from the Excess Crude Account (ECA)

    Amaechi, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Seminatari said that contrary to the minister’s position that he (Amaechi) was part of the decision making to share the $5billion by the three tiers of government, he and the other 35 governors were privy only to the withdrawal of $1billion from the ECA.

    He insisted that due process was not followed by the Federal Government in the withdrawals made from ECA.

    He acknowledged his state’s receipt of N56.2billion, for January to September 2013 as statutory allocation from the federation account but explained that federation account is funded from receipts from oil and other sales (with oil accounting for over 90 percent and taxes – VAT- custom duties etc.).

    “When more crude is produced and sold above the quantity anticipated by the budget for any given year, the funds are by law meant to be kept as future savings in a stabilization account, also known as the excess crude account,” he said.

    Continuing, he said: “There is a position of the National Economic Council’s (NEC) on the matter of the Excess Crude Account. This position is that the savings in the ECA belonging to all the states is not to be touched. Indeed this is in tandem with the position of the minister that the ECA is savings for all to be set-aside for the rainy day and not to be “shared” in the manner she now seems to suggest.” The Rivers State Government, he stressed “finds it curious and very disturbing that our rainy day savings has been ‘shared’ in complete breach of the known procedure for doing such and in what might be considered an under the table and clandestine manner.”

    “The Rivers State government is certain that its Governor did not participate in any such meeting where any such approval was requested or even discussed and given.”

    He said it was worrisome that ECA was being managed like a “piggy-bank.”

    The governor said the minister’s statement that the SURE-P is being funded from the ECA contradicts President Jonathan’s broadcast that SURE-P “is designed to manage and reinvest the Federal Governments share of the savings from the partial reduction of subsidies on petroleum products.”

    “It was not and is not meant to be that SURE-P is to be funded from ECA nor can the Federal Government unilaterally withdraw money from the ECA to balance payments to oil marketers. Indeed the statement of the accountant general of the federation previously quoted lays credence to this position – “N35.547 billion from the Subsidy Re-investment Programme (SURE-P); formed part of the total distributable revenue for the month, he said”

    The governor then asked the minister to answer the following questions for ” the purposes of clarity and for avoidance of doubt”:

    o How much oil does the country produce per day?

    o Clarification that the benchmark price for oil in the 2013 budget is $79?

    o Is it a fact that crude oil was sold at prices that hovered around $110 per day throughout the year?

    o How much exactly has Nigeria earned from its oil sales in 2013 and what percentage of the budget is funded by these receipts?

    He added:”The position of the federal government has been that there are shortfalls in production but does this position also take into cognisance the over $30 differential between the benchmark price of $79 and the actual sale price which averaged $110 per barrel during the period. The position of the Rivers State Government is that the differential of over $30 should have been enough to fund the shortfall in production?

    “Rivers State has received N56.2 billion from the Excess Crude Account between January and September 2013.” Neither Rivers nor any other state would have any inkling that the money received by Rivers State government and other state governments for that matter was funded from the ECA.

    “According to a communiqué issued by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation after the June allocation meeting, ” the sum of N7.617 billion refunded by NNPC and the N35.547 billion from the Subsidy Re-investment Programme (SURE-P); formed part of the total distributable revenue for the month.” The communiqué confirmed that the gross revenue for the month was N863.026 billion. This was higher than the N590.777 billion received in May by N272.249 billion. It said very unambiguously, “the higher revenue was a result of increased crude oil production due to the completion of pipeline repairs in some terminals. There was also a significant increase in non-oil revenue during the period due to the receipt of accumulated arrears on companies.”

    “The Rivers State government therefore finds puzzling the suggestion by the minister that the savings for 2012 has been used to fund the budget for 2013.”

    Okonjo-Iweala denies introduction of politics to distributing federal allocations to states.