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Tag: Rotimi Amaechi

  • PDP criticises Rivers one week centenary holidays

    PDP criticises Rivers one week centenary holidays

    •Public holidays for celebration, says SSG

    The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised the declaration of one week public holidays for the Port Harcourt Centenary Celebration by Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

    The party accused the governor of impunity and called for a revolution.

    Rivers PDP Chairman, Chief Felix Obuah, in company of other members of the State Working Committee (SWC), told reporters yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that Amaechi wanted to subvert the course of justice.

    But the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), George Feyii, insisted that the public holidays were to enable the people participate in the centenary celebration.

    The Caretaker Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Chikordi Dike, at a media briefing on Monday in Port Harcourt, accused a judge of the Rivers State High Court, Justice I. A. Iyayi-Lamikanra, sitting in Port Harcourt of bias, in the suit filed by the suspended Chairman of the local government, Timothy Nsirim.

    Iyayi-Lamikanra was set, last Friday, to reinstate Nsirim; his deputy, Solomon Eke and 17 councillors.

    Dike said the judgment was leaked, with the suspended chairman and his supporters already celebrating ahead of the “favourable” judgment.

    The initial public holidays were on Friday and Monday, but were extended by the SSG till Friday.

    Five appeals and three motions for a stay of further proceedings on the Obio/Akpor suit pending before the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, would be taken on Thursday.

    The caretaker chairman also raised concern that “serious” travesty of justice would have occurred yesterday at Iyayi-Lamikanra’s court, if she had delivered the judgment in the Obio/Akpor suit.

    Dike wondered why Iyayi-Lamikanra was bent on delivering judgment yesterday in the suit when over 100 cases in her court had not been attended to while there was also a pending appeal on the suit before her.

    The Rivers PDP said: “Our attention has been drawn to a barrage of work-free days, first announced midnight on Thursday, November 14, 2013 by Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, declaring Friday, November 15, 2013 and Monday, November 18, 2013 as public holidays.

    “On November 18, at 8pm, Governor Amaechi extended the work-free days to November 22, without justification, other than to obstruct the course of justice in Rivers State.

    “The State PDP has it on good authority that Governor Amaechi, in the past two months, has attempted to dictate to some magistrates and judges and, indeed, judicial officers in the state on how to handle political cases. This has revealed his insistence on having Justice Peter N. C. Agumagu as the Acting Chief Judge of the state, without regard to laid-down rules and against all wise counsel.”

     

     

    “Amaechi had used all tactics, including financial inducements and executive orders to his aides and some council chairmen/caretakers to cast aspersions on some magistrates and judges, who are seen to have insisted on doing the right thing. This fact is not lost on us as well.

    “The reason given about the ongoing work-free days is political and diversionary. Since 1967, when Rivers State was created, we have not seen such abuse of work-free days, as we have seen in the last one week.

    “We also have it on good authority that the work-free days shall continue even after this week. Governor Amaechi has …demonstrated the crass impunity that characterises his governance.”

    The Rivers PDP urged the elders of the state, activists, labour leaders, among other notable people from state, to call the governor to order.

    It described their silence as “indeed” deafening.

    On April 22, Amaechi suspended the Obio/Akpor local government chairman, his deputy and all the 17 councillors, on the basis of an interim report of the Rivers House of Assembly Committee on Local Government Affairs, following a petition by Obio/Akpor Concerned Stakeholders.

    The stakeholders alleged huge financial looting against the Nsirim-led team.

    Amaechi, in compliance with the resolution of the House of Assembly, appointed a caretaker committee, pending the outcome of the investigation by the lawmakers.

    The members of the Rivers Assembly approved the names of the caretaker committee members on April 23 and were inaugurated the same day at the Government House, Port Harcourt, by the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, George Feyii.

    The Rivers PDP chairman asked the 32 lawmakers, who are all members of the ruling party, to reinstate the suspended chairman of Obio/Akpor LG, his deputy and the councillors, but they declined. This angered the Obuah-led executive.

    In order to wield the big stick, the Rivers PDP suspended the 27 legislators loyal to Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), while the Rivers governor was in May recommended to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for suspension for anti-party activities and he was subsequently suspended.

    Nsirim and other suspended officials of Obio/Akpor LG, however, immediately challenged the Rivers lawmakers’ decision at the high court in Port Harcourt.

  • I’m authentic NGF chair, says Amaechi

    I’m authentic NGF chair, says Amaechi

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has urged the Presidency to dissociate itself from the utterances of its officials capable of causing disaffection among governors.

    Amaechi said the Presidency must desist from misleading Nigerians, saying there is only one leader for the 36 governors. He added that his re-election as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) was accepted by majority of the governors.

    The governor was reacting to a statement credited to Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, the Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Goodluck Jonathan, referring to governors as “Amaechi Governors Forum”.

    In a statement yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, David Iyofor, the governor said Gulak’s ignorance of basic democratic tenets could damage the credibility of the Presidency and make it a body that lacks respect for people’s mandate.

    The statement reads : “It is certainly rude, uncharitable and nonsensical for Gulak, an appointed aide, to derisively refer to elected governors as ‘Amaechi Governors Forum’. Gulak and his co-travellers in the Presidency must be told in unambiguous terms that the Governors’ Forum is an internal business of governors and who becomes their chairman can only be determined by the governors alone.

    “It is a known fact that in the election for chairman of NGF held on May 24, Governor Amaechi got the mandate of the majority of his colleague-governors to continue to serve as their chairman when 19 governors voted for him as against 16 that voted for Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang. We know that 19 is always greater than 16.

    “But for the Jonathan Presidency, according to Gulak, 16 is greater than 19. We, like most Nigerians, are further saddened that the likes of Gulak in the Presidency are so ignorant and totally bereft of substance that they lack the capacity to comprehend the quantum of damage their comments do to the President.

    “This is why it is imperative for the Presidency to dissociate itself and President Jonathan from the unbefitting, perverse and delinquent comments of Gulak on who is the authentic chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.”

  • How $5b ECA cash was spent, by Okonjo-Iweala

    How $5b ECA cash was spent, by Okonjo-Iweala

    Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala explained yesterday how the Federal Government spent the $5billion excess crude cash declared “missing” by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

    In a statement, the ministry described as false, allegations by Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi that $5 billion is missing from the Excess Crude Account (ECA).

    “Governor Amaechi cannot credibly deny knowledge of the status of the ECA. He has been closely involved and actively participated in making requests to the Presidency for the ECA to be shared for the purpose of augmenting the regular allocations from the Federation Account whenever there is a shortfall.”

    The statement added that the $5 billion in the ECA, which Governor Amaechi referred to, “has been shared to the three tiers of government to make up for the revenue shortfalls during the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee process.”

    The ministry said it “also went for SURE-P payments and the balance for subsidy payments to oil marketers”.

    The minister said Rivers State received N56.2 billion, the second highest share among the states, for January to September 2013 from the ECA.

    This amount, the ministry added, “includes N43 billion for shortfalls plus N12 billion released for SURE-P.”

    Okonjo-Iweala and her team added that “earlier this month (November 2013) Rivers State along with other states, benefitted from the sharing of $1 billion from the ECA to augment the allocations.”

    It then described as curious, claims by Governor Amaechi denying knowledge of the whereabouts of the N56.2 billion which Rivers State has received from the ECA this year.

    With regards to claims that Okonjo-Iweala has refused to sign the African Development Bank (ADB) loan for a water project in Port Harcourt. Again, the ministry denied the allegation as wrong.

    The loan in question the ministry said “has been appraised but it is yet to be negotiated. Before the minister can sign it, it has to go through the negotiation process and be considered and cleared by both the Board of the African Development Bank and the Federal Executive Council. So the issue of the minister refusing to sign it simply does not arise.”

  • Rivers got N56.2bn from Excess Crude Account, says Finance Ministry

    The federal ministry of finance has described as false allegations by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers States that $5 billion is missing from the Excess Crude Account (ECA).
    A statement from the ministry said “Governor Amaechi cannot credibly deny knowledge of the status of the ECA. He has been closely involved and actively participated in making requests to the Presidency for the ECA to be shared for the purpose of augmenting the regular allocations from the Federation Account whenever there is a shortfall.”
    The federal ministry of finance noted that the $5 billion in the ECA which Governor Amaechi referred to “has been shared to the three tiers of government to make up for the revenue shortfalls during the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee process.”
    Part of this fund the ministry said “also went for SURE-P payments and the balance for subsidy payments to oil marketers.”
    To buttress its argument, the office of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance Mrs. Ngozi  Okonjo-Iweala  released the statement attached a table showing that Rivers State received N56.2 billion, the second highest share among the states, for January to September 2013 from the Excess Crude Account.
    This amount the ministry added “includes N43 billion for shortfalls plus N12 billion released for SURE-P.”
    Okonjo-Iweala and her team added that “earlier this month (November 2013) Rivers State along with other states, benefitted from the sharing of $1 billion from the ECA to augment the allocations.”
    It then described as curious claims by Governor Amaechi denying knowledge of the whereabouts of the N56.2 billion which Rivers State has received from the ECA this year.
    With regards to claims that Okonjo-Iweala has refused to sign the African Development Bank (ADB) loan for a water project in Port Harcourt,the ministry denied the allegation as wrong.
    The loan in question the ministry said “has been appraised but it is yet to be negotiated. Before the minister can sign it, it has to go through the negotiation process and be considered and cleared by both the Board of the African Development Bank and the Federal Executive Council. So the issue of the minister refusing to sign it simply does not arise.”

  • Sultan of Sokoto lauds Aregbesola on achievements

    The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has commended the administration of the Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, for what he described as its “sterling performance.”

    The Sultan gave the commendation when members of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) under the chairmanship of Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, paid him a courtesy visit in his palace.

    The governors were in Sokoto State for the second NGF two-day retreat.

    The monarch stated that Aregbesola has been performing commendably in the past three years.

    The Sultan, who said he has visited Osun four times and was elated with what he saw on ground, expressed willingness to visit the state again.

    He said, “My brother, Rauf Aregbesola is here with all of you. I was in Osogbo, his state capital sometimes this year. I think I have visited his state four times and I am still willing to visit again. There is no doubt that he is doing wonderfully well.”

    The monarch, who presented the NGF chairman a book written by the late Sultan Muhammad Bello, said the books are good resource materials for both Muslims and Christians, who wish to know what Islam said on fundamental issues such as war and peace.

    He affirmed that Islam is totally opposed to shedding innocent blood of fellow human beings, saying in Islam, killing of one innocent soul is tantamount to killing a whole generation.

    “Sokoto is the centre of Islam even though I know that Islam had reached some other places between 500 to 600 years ago. Today, I am surprised the way some people are behaving. Islam is the opposite of violence. I don’t know where those who kill and shed blood of innocent people got their own ideology because Islam is averse to killing fellow human beings. In fact, in Islam, it amounts to killing a whole nation if one kills just one person.”

    Also in attendance during the visit were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, former presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Nuhu Ribadu amongst several other dignitaries.

     

  • PDP takes sides with Omehia against Amaechi in tenure suit

    PDP takes sides with Omehia against Amaechi in tenure suit

    Supreme Court to rule Feb. 7

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday joined forces with the sacked governor of Rivers State, Celestine Omehia, to ask the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeals filed by Governor Rotimi Amaechi and a chieftain of the party, Cyprian Chukwu, over the renewed dispute on Amaechi’s tenure.

    Amaechi and Chukwu are, by their appeals, seeking to void the leave granted Omehia by the Court of Appeal, Abuja to appeal an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court in relation to when Amaechi’s first tenure ought to have ended.

    Chukwu, in 2010, applied to the Federal High Court, Abuja for the interpretation of the 2007 judgment by the Supreme Court, in determining when election was due in Rivers State in 2011.

    Omehia was sacked as Rivers State governor in 2007 on the basis of the Supreme Court judgment and Amaechi pronounced the governor in October 2007.

    In deciding Chukwu’s case, Justice Abdulkadir Abdul-Kafarati of the Federal High Court held that by virtue of the Supreme Court’s judgment, Amaechi’s first tenure ended on May 28, 2011 and not in October 2011.

    Justice Abdul-Kafarati held that since the apex court had held that it was the PDP that won the election and the election having not been set aside, the tenure began to run on May 29, 2007 even though Omehia wrongly occupied the office.

    Dissatisfied, Amaechi appealed the judgment by Justice Abdul-Kafarati. Shortly after Amaechi appealed, Omehia, who was not a party in the suit at the trial court, applied to the Court of Appeal to be made a party to enable him also appeal the judgment.

    Despite opposition by Amaechi and Chukwu, the Court of Appeal granted Omehia’s prayer, a decision Amaechi and Chukwu appealed at the Supreme Court.

    Yesterday, parties adopted their briefs of argument. The court adjourned till February 7 for judgment.

    The PDP opposed Omehia’s moves to be made a party in the case before the Court of Appeal, but yesterday, it sided with Omehia and urged the court to dismiss both appeals.

    Lawyers to Amaechi and Chukwu, Messrs Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and Rickey Tarfa (SAN), drew the apex court’s attention to the sudden change in the position of Mr Olusola Oke, the lawyer representing the PDP.

    Fagbemi and Tarfa wondered why Oke appeared to have changed his position, having earlier aligned with them at the lower court.

    Oke, while adopting his briefs, urged the court to dismiss both appeals and uphold the decision of the appellate court, which granted Omehia leave to appeal Justice Abdul-Kafarati’s judgment.

    He urged the apex court to ignore the technicalities raised by the appellants in seeking to void the leave granted Omehia.

    Omehia’s lawyer, Nnaemeka Udechukwu (SAN), argued in a similar manner as Oke, praying the court to dismiss the appeals.

    Tarfa urged the court to allow the appeal and void the leave granted Omehia on the grounds that the appellate court acted in error.

    He argued that Omehia did not place sufficient materials before the court to warrant the granting of the leave granted him.

    Tarfa further argued that Omehia’s application was wrongly filed because he applied for permission about 200 days after the trial court had delivered its judgment.

    Fagbemi argued that as an interested party, who sought to appeal the decision of a case he did not participate in at the trial stage, Omehia failed to comply with the necessary constitutional requirements.

    He also queried Omehia’s locus to appeal the trial court’s judgment because he failed to satisfy the court that he had a special interest to protect.

    Fagbemi argued that Omehia’s claim to being interested in contesting the 2011 governorship election was not a sufficient ground for granting him leave because he was just one out of the several people who were interested in contesting the election.

    Fagbemi argued that Omehia hid from the court, the fact that he actually participated in the 2011 election under the banner of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    He contended that having enjoyed the benefit of the trial court’s judgment by contesting the 2011 governorship under APGA, he could not turn around to attack the same judgment.

    Fagbemi also argued that Omehia was left with no interest to protect, having contested the 2011 election under another party and lost.

  • ‘Amaechi being hypocritical’

    ‘Amaechi being hypocritical’

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State chapter, has accused Governor Rotimi Amaechi of hypocrisy.

    It noted that it had been vindicated by his recent hypocritical activities, including his alleged clandestine meeting on Sunday in Abuja with other G-7 governors, during which they allegedly oiled their plot against President Goodluck Jonathan.

    PDP said Amaechi had never, by his actions, even after his recent public announcement of total submission to President Jonathan, shown any genuine love, commitment, and readiness to cooperate with the President.

    The ruling party insisted that Amaechi, who is also the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), should not be taken serious by anyone, who meant well for President Jonathan, the PDP and the people.

    The Rivers Chairman of the PDP, Chief Felix Obuah, through his Special Adviser on Media, Jerry Needam, yesterday described Amaechi’s claim of loyalty to President Jonathan as sarcastic and diversionary.

    The Rivers PDP pleaded with genuine supporters of the President and the public not to be swayed by the antics of the NGF chairman.

    The ruling party said: “We wonder why the Rivers governor, who at the opening ceremony of a symposium on the Port Harcourt Centenary last Thursday declared his total submission to the President, will two days after, facilitate and participate in the G-7 rebel governors’ meeting in Abuja.”

    The PDP reaffirmed its position and support for Dr. Jonathan as the party’s national leader and the country’s President and would not allow any member of the party to continue to engage in any act of insubordination and disrespect to the PDP’s leadership at all levels.

  • Rivers renames Assembly after ex-deputy speaker

    Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday renamed the State House of Assembly complex, Port Harcourt after a one- time Speaker, Mr. Tonye Harry.

    Amaechi, at the funeral service for Harry at St. Alban’s Anglican Church, Obuama in Degema Local Government Area of the state, said the complex would henceforth be called “Rt. Hon. Tonye Willie Harry House of Assembly” to immortalise the deceased.

    In a tribute, the governor hailed Harry for his selflessness.

    He said: “Tonye was older. I insisted he should be my deputy. He was somebody you could depend on. Tonye was a good man. During my second term as speaker, I left the House of Assembly for him and he did well.

    “Tonye was very friendly. He did not depend on medical doctors but relied on God. He said if he went to France and came back, he would serve God.

    “Obuama was not like this before Tonye became speaker. Tonye was a powerful speaker and lived with the persons he helped.

    “Whatever function you gave to Tonye, he would discharge it very well. He was a good accountant, even in the Rivers House of Assembly.

    “When I was speaker, I was always running to Tonye’s house to eat and I would sleep off. Why do bad things happen to good people? God is allowing those of us who are bad to repent in order not to go to hell.”

    Also at the service were Rivers Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, an engineer, and his wife, Dr. Mina; the representative of Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, Magnus Abe; a member of the House of Representatives, Dakuku Peterside, representing Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro constituency of Rivers state; Amachree; and the Deputy Speaker of Rivers Assembly, Leyii Kwanee, among other eminent personalities.

    But the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike and other anti-Amaechi forces in the state were conscipiously missing at the funeral.

    Harry, until his death from heart attack on October 4, was the Chairman of the House Committee on Works and one of the 27 legislators loyal to Governor Amaechi.

    He was deputy speaker of the Assembly between 1999 and 2007 when Amaechi served as speaker.

    He emerged as speaker in 2007 and continued to lead the House until 2011.

    He was re-elected a member of the Assembly in 2011 but Otelemaba Dan Amachree was elected speaker.

    The deceased represented Degema constituency.

    The officiating minister, the Rt. Rev. Ralph Ebirien, said the deceased “identified with the people of Obuama. He also did well in Degema LG and Rivers State.”

     

    “Tonye helped this church to take the gospel to the people outside the church. He was also an elder in the political village.”

  • Amaechi, PDP chair disagree

    Amaechi, PDP chair disagree

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the Rivers Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, have disagreed on the cause of the death of the mother of Dame Patience Jonathan, Madam Charity Fyneface Oba.

    Amaechi, who is also the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), equally disagreed with Obuah on the alleged directive to Rivers commissioners and council chairmen to register with the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Rivers PDP alleged that it had uncovered a plot by the Rivers government to disparage and castigate President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, ahead of Friday’s funeral of Madam Oba.

    Amaechi, however, described the allegations as a clear fabrication and a figment of imagination of Obuah.

  • Amaechi, Aliyu,Lamido, others in closed-door meeting with Jonathan

    Towards resolving the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday met with the aggrieved governors at the First Lady Conference room in the Presidential Villa.

    The aggrieved governors had on the 31st of August break away from the main party to form the ‘New PDP’ under the chairmanship of Kawu Baraje.
    Journalists were barred from entering the venue of the meeting which started some minutes after 4 p.m. They were told that the meeting did not need media coverage.

    Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, wearing white shirt, drove himself to the First Lady office around 5:14 p.m. in a Black Range Rover jeep with plate number Nasarawa AE 153 NBB behind Babangida Aliyu, Niger State Governor’s vehicle.

    Other aggrieved governors at the meeting included Kwara State, Abdulafatah Ahmed, Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, Jigawa State, Sule Lamido,

    Among the Pro-Jonathan governors at the meeting included Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, Cross Rivers State , Liyel Imoke, Kogi State, Idris Wada, Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwanbo,