Governor Rotimi Amaechi Says His Life Is In Danger

Hours after he was suspended from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, yesterday, solicited prayers from citizens of the state against desperate persons who he claimed were after his life.

The suspension of Amaechi from the party was agreed during an unscheduled and unusually early morning meeting of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party at the residence of the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. The meeting, NE learnt, commenced at 8.00 a.m.

The meeting came two days ahead of the regular meeting of the NWC which normally holds on Wednesdays. It was also three days after Amaechi beat the odds with his re-election as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF. He had been allegedly opposed by the PDP Governors’ Forum, PDP-GF ahead of the election.

The governor spoke amidst strong opposition from his loyalists and some party chieftains over what they described as the continued reign of lawlesness in the party. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in a sharp reaction called on the founders of the party to mobilise against what he described as the party’s slip towards disintegration.

The suspension of the governor was, however, welcomed by the newly inaugurated Rivers State executive of the PDP that is opposed to the governor.
The governor’s suspension was hinged on what the party described as his refusal to order the reinstatement of members of the Obio Akpor Local Government executive who were suspended from office by the orders of the Rivers State House of Assembly upon allegations of corruption raised against the LG executive.
Hours after the suspension was announced, the party at a press conference said that it had constituted a committee headed by Mr. Joe Gadzama, SAN, to probe allegations raised against Amaechi.
Other members of the committee are PDP National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon; Inalegwu Onche, Friday Nwosu, Udorji Amedu, Ola Kukuyi, Wakil Mohammed, Yusuf Jangwe, Mrs Bola Doherty, Mr. Tanimu Adamson and Anicho Okoro as Secretary.
The time frame for the committee’s assignment was, however, not given.
NGF crisis assumes new dimension
However, yesterday ,that the crisis rocking the Nigeria Governors’ Forum has taken a new dimension, with the Governor Jonah Jang-led parallel faction appointing Mr. Osaro Onaiwo as Sole Administrator of Jang’s office in Maitama, Abuja. He is to act pending the appointment of a substantive director-general.
In the statement conveying the governor’s suspension issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, yesterday, the party said:
“The National Working Committee at its emergency meeting on Monday, May 27, 2013 considered the petition submitted by the PDP Rivers Executive Committee against His Excellency, Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the Executive Governor of Rivers State for violating Articles 58 1 (b), (c ), (h) and (m) of the PDP Constitution following his refusal to obey the lawful directive of the Rivers State Executive Committee to rescind his decision dissolving the elected Executive Council of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“The National Working Committee after preliminary hearing, in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 57 (3), 59 (3), 59 (5) and 29 (2.b), hereby suspends the Executive Governor of River State, Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as a member of the PDP and refers the matter to the appropriate disciplinary committee of the Party.
“This is in furtherance of the determination of the leadership of the party to enforce discipline at all levels within the party.”
My life under threat — Amaechi
Reacting to his suspension during an interactive session with youths of the state, Amaechi called for prayers saying that desperate people who he claimed did not follow the due process of hearing from him could also be after his life.
He, however, vowed that God who kept him in the face of the six-month intrigues that preceded his inauguration in 2007 would also see him through. The interactive session with the youths with the theme: “Consolidating on Rivers of our Dreams” took place at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Port Harcourt.
Noting the desperation of his foes, he said: “The way these people at the federal level are desperate, they may come after my life. So when you pray, remember to pray for me to remain alive.
“Who has power to suspend Obio/Akpor council? Now you see political witch-hunting; it is so ridiculous, my party must rise above political witch-hunting. The Governor did not suspend Obio/Akpor council, I hope you know. My power is to dissolve and remit it to the House of Assembly, but I have not done that yet, what the Assembly has said is ‘we are investigating corruption’ then the party says we should not investigate corruption, is that fair?”.
Amaechi said the NWC issued a press statement to suspend him without any invitation and fair hearing. “I was not invited by the National Working Committee of PDP, I was not given fair hearing. What I heard was ‘why did I refuse to reinstate the suspended Obio/Akpor Council executive? Who suspended them?’, he asked.
His question received the enthusiastic response of the youths who chorused: “The Rivers State House of Assembly.”
Again the governor asked, ‘who has the power to investigate Obio/Akpor council executive?”. The Youths again replied: “The State Assembly.”
“If they are not guilty, then they will re-instate them, but if they are guilty, then we will ask for the dissolution of the council.  We have not even gone half, and the Party (PDP) says re-instate them. It means that the party likes corruption. Let the Assembly resume and commence investigation, let’s see what goes on. Whether there is corruption or not, it is the business of the Assembly.  I have been a Speaker, and I know the powers of a Speaker and the legislature.  I used it when I was a Speaker”, Amaechi said.
“What is the police still doing at the Obio/Akpor Council building?  The court gave an order to the Police to vacate Obio/Akpor Council, they disobeyed, and the police are still stationed there”, he said.
“The Federal Government does not care, they only stationed police at Obio/Akpor council, even if everybody dies, they don’t care.  Now the whole state will be grounded, because the police have refused to vacate the Obio/Akpor Council Secretariat. They don’t want to know, we are not important to the federal government, we are not important at all”, Amaechi lamented.
“You know what it took for us to stop militancy in the state. But only last week, they now organized militants to return to the streets of Port Harcourt, is that not shameful. You all know how the militants spent our money, raped our women, killed our parents and young men.  Immediately the militants stopped protesting, the police said, nobody should protest again”, Amaechi stated.
“Internal democracy is important in our party,  they fought me with everything, and I still won the Nigeria Governors’ Forum election, what should they do?  They should have joined me to thank God.  Because what it means is that God has spoken.  It happened when I was in Ghana, I fasted and prayed for six months, 6am to 6pm, and God made me Governor.
I will not leave PDP — Amaechi
“I will not leave the PDP. I will go to court. The plane (aircraft) issue is same politics, pure politics. For one year plus, a minister refused to sign import permit. I’m sure you are aware of the House of Representatives Committee report on the plane issue.”
On the NGF election, Governor Amaechi said:  “You will see it on the internet when the Governors were voting, all the governors were there and you will also see the counting. We (Governors) agreed to vote, and all the governors voted, so any governor who said he didn’t vote is lying against the nation because all of us are on oath to govern properly. So we should not lie, every governor voted, you will see the video. If we leaders of Nigeria today are refusing to accept the results of a properly organized election supervised by the Director-General of the Governors’ Forum, and somebody brought a paper that was signed in April.  If you check that list, it was signed in April and you brought it on May 24 after the Governors have finished voting their chairman into office; that list is not part of our election. There is a rumour that they want to go to court to stop me as NGF chairman. We are ready to meet them in court but they should not go through the backdoor to get an order ”, Amaechi said.
Meantime, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari has described the suspension of the governor by his party as worrisome, adding that it was witch hunting.
“We are concerned as we believe this is political witch-hunt. It is worrisome. The reason given is the suspension of the Obio/Akpor council. This is purely a legislative matter and one in accordance to the laws of local government councils in Rivers State.”
On his part, the Chief of Staff Government House, Mr Tony Okocha said the action of the party made no sense. “The suspension makes no sense.  How can you suspend the governor if you talk of rule of law? There are indices of the rule of law. Nobody called the governor for hearing on any issue. The whole thing makes no sense.”
When contacted for comment, the Publicity Secretary of the Chief Godspower Ake-led faction of the PDP in the state, Mr George Wogba said they had not been formally informed of the action of the party.
The Felix Obuah led PDP on its part supported the suspension.  Publicity Secretary of the faction, Mr Nwanosike Samuel who spoke also said the governor did not win the NGF election.
The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Otelemaba Amachree declined comment on the development.  His media aide, Mr Jim Opiki said his boss would not want to say anything on the development at the moment.
Former National Deputy Chairman of the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) Chief Asukewe Iko-Awaji, faulted the suspension saying it was a violation of democratic tenets.
“I don’t want to talk much about PDP as a party, but what you must know is the role of a party and that of government; they are different. That PDP suspends Amaechi does not remove him from office as governor”, he ended.