L-R:
Governors Rabi’u Kwankwaso (Kano State); Sule Lamido (Jigawa) Rotimi
Amaechi (Rivers); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa),
during the governors visit to Amaechi in Port Harcourt... on Tuesday.
| credits: NAN
| credits: NAN
There
was commotion again in Rivers State as thousands of youths believed
to be loyal to the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, on
Tuesday, reportedly threw stones and other objects at the convoy of the
Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, at the Port Harcourt
International Airport, Omagwa.
A bus in which some commissioners in the state were seated in was said to have had its windscreen smashed by the protesters.
But the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, told The PUNCH that “there was no time the governors’ convoy was attacked.
“Nothing like that (attack) happened,”
she said, adding that adequate security was provided at the airport to
forestall any unpleasant development.
Commissioner for Information and
Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, who confirmed that a Government
House bus was damaged by some youths, described the incident as a ploy
by anti-democratic forces to cause confusion in the state.
Semenitari said the development had the capacity of derailing the nation’s democracy.
The youths, who are mostly members of
the Grassroots Development Initiative, had expressed dissatisfaction
over the visit of the governors, maintaining that they had no
business being in the state.
Though some pro-Amaechi youths, who are
members of Ikwerre Youth Movement, were also on the ground to forestall
any untoward development at the airport, their presence did not stop the
anti-Amaechi protesters.
The anti-Amaechi protesters, who got
wind of the planned visit of the northern governors, had stormed the
Port Harcourt Airport at about 7am and waited until about 11.40am when
the governors and their host arrived. Amaechi came in from Abuja.
Aliyu, who is also the chairman of the
Northern States Governors’ Forum, arrived at about an hour later to
join others who had been waiting for him.
Trouble,however, began when the
governors were about leaving the VIP lounge for a journey to the
Government House in Port Harcourt. The anti-Amaechi protesters moved
en masse to block the governors from moving further but were dispersed
by an Armoured Personnel Carrier, which was part of Amaechi’s convoy.
At that point, the governors were able
to enter a vehicle that immediately left the vicinity but some vehicles
in the convoy were said to have been hit by stones and other objects
thrown by the protesters.
One of Amaechi’s drivers, according to a source, was said to have received two punches on his face.
Reacting to the incident, the GDI Secretary-General, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, described the protest as peaceful and successful.
He pointed out that the people of the state were not comfortable with the coming of the northern governors to the state.
Nwanosike said, “There was a peaceful
protest at the airport today. Rivers people are not happy with the visit
of the northern governors to our state. They should stay in their
states because Rivers people can solve their political problems by
themselves.
“We were about 7,000 protesting. We don’t want them (northern governors) to import Boko Haram to Rivers State.”
The youths’ position on the visit was
backed by the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, which said it was
“meant to aggravate the political crisis in the state.”
The Media Adviser to the state Chairman
of the PDP, Mr. Jerry Needam, said in a statement that it was wrong
for the governors to abandon their states in order to pay Amaechi a
solidarity visit.
He said, “It is the likes of these
visitors that are encouraging Amaechi not to have regard for the
Rivers people, elders and constituted authorities in the state.”
On the inauguration of an eight-member
Judicial Commission to look into the crisis in the House of Assembly,
Needam described Amaechi as a principal actor, who should not be a
judge in his own case.
He said, “Amaechi can’t be a judge in
his own case. Amaechi is a principal suspect in the matter. Above all,
the matter is before the Senate. The Senate will give its report on
Wednesday (today).
“His action is pre-empting the decision
of the Senate Committee on States and Local governments. It is a shame
that Amaechi will go to this length in his desperate quest for power.”
Meanwhile, the four governors , who
visited the state have threatened to stop funding the police if the
Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu, was not redeployed.
In a statement shortly after their
meeting with Amaechi, they warned that with officers like Joseph Mbu,
still in the force, they were not going to fund an antagonistic police.
They also pointed out that the call for
a state police as a constitutional provision had become necessary
following the actions of the police and Mbu in the State House of
Assembly fracas.
Calling on the Inspector-General of
Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, to redeploy and discipline Mbu, the
northern governors described the police action as unprofessional and
partisan.
They said, “We wish to call on the IG
to hearken to the voice of reason and immediately redeploy and
discipline Mbu. His actions smack of unprofessional conduct and
partisanship unbecoming of his office.
“With the way the police are being used
and abused and with officers like Mbu , we do not see the need for
state governments to fund an antagonistic police and we may be forced
to reconsider our financial contributions towards the Nigeria
Police.”
They noted that recent developments in
Rivers State had brought to the fore, the question of true federalism
and the need for institutions to be allowed to perform without undue
interference.
“As federating units, we must be
allowed the space to guarantee our people’s sustainable development as
provided by the constitution,” the governors said.
They justified their visit, saying it
was to ascertain the information made available to them through the
media. The governors described the events in the state as threats to
peace, security and democracy.
The governors added, “Having interacted
with our colleague and other persons, we are shocked at the role of the
police in Rivers State and condemn their clear partisanship in the show
of shame that took place in the House of Assembly.
Source: punch
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