It would have been an opportunity to mend fences – they are widely perceived to harbour some differences.
But, Wednesday’s “mid-term dinner for transformation team” at the Presidential Villa was for President Goodluck Jonathan and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi a missed opportunity to pump hands and flash some smiles.
Amaechi entered the venue of the dinner and went straight to the President’s table – apparently to exchange pleasantries. He almost got to the President when a group of security aides blocked his way, fencing him.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman was unruffled. He went to take his seat.
A source confirmed yesterday that a security operative blocked Amaechi because of “a protocol breach”.
There was anxiety in the governor’s camp following alleged mumbling of some words by the operative.
A source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “The governor meant well in trying to meet with the President as a sign of deference to the nation’s leader.”
“Acting on alleged intelligence report on the utterances and disposition of the governor, the security operative, in a stern manner, told Amaechi: ‘You cannot see the President; you cannot see him.’ The tone suggested a pre-meditated action.
“The same operative started mumbling words which sounded like threats. I think the incident did not allow Amaechi to wait till the end of the event,” the source said.
Another source said as Amaechi entered the dinner venue, he went straight to the President’s table, but “the ADC and the CSO” blocked him.
The source said there was no exchange of words. “As soon as they blocked him, he got the message and turned back.
A minister who shared a table with the governor saw it all,” the source said.
Amaechi could not be reached for comments last night.
But a security official, who pleaded not to be named because be is not permitted to talk to the media, said: “There was a breach of protocol by the governor and the operative politely asked the governor to tarry a while.
“The dinner was already on when Amaechi and some governors came in. In protocol, there was no way a presidential guard or security operative would allow anyone to exchange pleasantries with the President in the middle of an event.
“It was not a slight but a protocol norm. I think the security operative lived up to his job.”
A Presidency source, however, disputed the alleged encounter between an operative and Amaechi.
He said: “All the governors were well-treated at the event. They were all sitting either on the second or third row to the President. Everything went well – by the reckoning of the Presidency.
“I also sat very close to the governors; I cannot remember such incident happening at all.
“Governor Amaechi has not spoken about the alleged incident. I do not know where those writing about it got this story.
“If it was true, Amaechi would have disclosed this when he spoke with the State House Correspondents on Wednesday night at the Villa.”
A source in the NGF said: “I think the President should look into the alleged mumbling of some words to the governor. The mumbled words sounded like threats.
“The incident goes beyond protocol issue.”
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday urged President Jonathan to probe the report.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the President should ensure that whoever is behind such a condescending treatment of a governor is properly sanctioned to serve as a deterrent.
‘’We are making this call because we do not believe that, in spite of the reported frosty relations between the two, President Jonathan – as the
father of the nation – will lend the weight of his high office to such a demeaning action as exhibited by the presidential security personnel.
‘’To believe that anyone occupying the esteemed office of the President of one of Africa’s most important nations will be a party to a situation in which any security aide will willfully fence a state chief executive from paying his respect to the President at such an open gathering will be to think the worst of the occupier of that office. That is why we have chosen not to believe that this indeed occurred, and why we are calling on Mr. President to tell Nigerians that ‘it ain’t so’
‘’We shudder to think of what efforts are being made – including the use of national institutions – to undermine Governor Amaechi if the treatment reportedly meted out to him at the dinner has the approval of the powers that be. We are even more worried at what will happen to a governor from the opposition who falls out of favour with the President, if a governor from the same party as the President can be so publicly humiliated,’’ it said.
The ACN said it was particularly incumbent on the President to clarify the report because Amaechi, the authentic Chair of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), extended an Olive Branch to President Jonathan by attending the dinner along with the other governors who voted him into the NGF chairmanship, despite the fact that the President is publicly supporting the losing faction of the NGF, in what is being seen as a democratic faux pas.
The party said the President must learn to separate politics from governance by rising above petty partisanship as he steers the affairs of state.
‘’At this point, we have no choice than to call attention to the recent speech by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon, Aminu Tambuwal, to welcome back the honourable members from their short break.
ACN quoted the Speaker thus: “I am strongly persuaded to state once again that from the little that we know, there is a dichotomy between politics and governance. Thus there is a difference between a candidate in electoral contest on the platform of a political party and in an elected official who has assumed a non-partisan responsibility and taken oath to protect and preserve the constitution, to serve the people and the nation.
“Needless to say that generally, whenever partisan interests conflict with national interest, it is partisan interests that must be sacrificed in the preservation of the national interest. The oath we took is that of constitutionalism and national service and not of suffocating partisanship.”
The party urged all political office holders, irrespective of their party affiliation, to eschew the kind of pervasive and petty partisanship that led to the reported disrespect shown to an elected State Governor by a security agent being paid with taxpayers’ money.
