Rivers fracas: Presidency wants Amaechi
probed
2013-07-15 00:00:22
The Presidency has advised security agencies to ensure that
Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi was investigated and
prosecuted after his tenure in office for his alleged
involvement in Tuesday's mayhem in the state House of
Assembly.
The advice was given just as the Action Congress of Nigeria
urged the Police Service Commission to address the causes
of the fracas in the House rather than the symptoms in its
investigation of the role of the police in the crisis.
The comments by the Presidency and the ACN followed a
July 9 petition by Amaechi to Jonathan on the free for all
that led to infliction of injuries on some lawmakers following
an attempt to impeach the Speaker of the House, Mr. Daniel
Amachree by a group led by Mr. Evans Bipi.
Amaechi had in the petition which was also addressed to the
PSC Chairman, Mike Okiro, requested the immediate
transfer of the Commissioner in charge of the state Police
Command, Joseph Mbu.
He also sent copies of the petition in which he detailed
Mbu's alleged atrocities to Senate President David Mark
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu
Tambuwal.
But the Presidency through the Special Adviser to the
President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, wondered why
the governor's priority should be on the redeployment of
the police commissioner at a time when efforts were
ongoing to fly an injured lawmaker, Michael Chinda, abroad
for treatment.
Gulak, in an interview with one of our correspondents in
Abuja on Saturday, however gave an assurance that the
President would look at the merits and demerits of
Amaechi's petition before taking a decision.
Insisting that the governor should be held responsible for
the fracas, the Presidential aide reminded Amaechi that
the immunity from prosecution which he currently enjoys as
a governor would end on expiration of his tenure.
He therefore asked security agencies to investigate the
fracas thoroughly and keep the file.
Gulak said, , "It is true that as a sitting governor, he enjoys
immunity but immunity cannot be forever.
"Security agencies should investigate the matter (fracas)
thoroughly and keep the file because I still find it amazing
and tragic for the governor to go into the House of Assembly
to play active role in the fracas. It amazes me.
"But one thing is sure, the President will read through his
(Amaechi's) petition. He will study it and look at its merits
and demerits. It is after that that the President will direct
relevant authorities appropriately on the matter.
"The governor had a game plan from the beginning. He
wants the commissioner of police redeployed. He is not
talking about a member of the House of Assembly who is the
Majority Leader and his (Amaechi) security details beat to a
coma.
"The lawmaker has been in a coma since that incident on
Tuesday and will be flown abroad for treatment. The
governor is not talking about that one, his major
preoccupation is the redeployment of the police
commissioner."
But the Rivers State Government and the ACN, said
Amaechi's quick intervention prevented the free-for-all in
the House of Assembly from escalating.
The Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Port
Harcourt, Mr. Tony Okocha, argued that Gulak should
have called for an inquiry into how thugs gained entrance
into the House.
"It is most unreasonable to contemplate. Rather conversely,
Amaechi ought to be commended for his brave intervention
and rescue mission even at the risk of his life. Gulak should
be suggesting an inquiry into how armed thugs got into the
Assembly and at whose behest," he said in an SMS message
to The PUNCH.
"He (Gulak) should be able to absolve the Presidency from
complicity knowing the relationship between Bipi and the
Presidency. Nigerians are better aware than he thinks,"
Okocha added.
The Police headquarters has however summoned the
orderly to Amaechi, who was captured in a video engaging in
a brawl with a lawmaker during the fracas in the House.
"It is true that the police orderly who played a prominent
role in the fracas has been summoned by the IG. He was
captured in the video engaging in a fight with a lawmaker
contrary to Force discipline and code of conduct for officers,"
a source close to Louis Edet headquarters of the force said
on Sunday.
Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, had set
up a panel headed by the Deputy Inspector-General of
Police in-charge of Operations, Philemon Leha, to probe the
impasse.
When contacted on Sunday, the Deputy Force Public
Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said investigation into the crisis
was ongoing and that the force would not hesitate to invite
anyone involved in the incident.
"You are aware that the investigation panel set up by the IG
has begun its work; so anyone found to have participated in
the fracas can be invited . Everyone that played a role in
the incident will be summoned," he said.
The ACN, in a statement on Sunday by its National
Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said a statement
credited to PSC Chairman, Mike Okiro, suggested that the
commission was only interested in the role of the police in
the fracas.
It stated that the commission was not interested in how the
police hierarchy in the state wantonly allowed the flare-up
because it was acting to protect certain interests at the
expense of the public.
The statement reads in part, "Governor Amaechi has
documented, in a much-publicised letter to Mr. Okiro, how
the Police Commissioner in Rivers, Mr. Mbu has thrown
professionalism to the winds in pursuing his narrow agenda
at the expense of the security of the state.
"It is on record that this 'political policeman' has worsened
the security situation in the state since he assumed office in
February 2013 by undermining the authority of the Governor
as the Chief Security Officer of his state; undermining the
security structure put in place by the State Security Council
and compromising the council to such an extent that
members no longer speak their minds freely during
meetings.
"These are the issues we expect a non-partisan PSC to
address with a view to sanctioning whoever it is that paved
the way for the disgraceful show that was put up under the
klieg light last week. While the PSC will be right to sanction
even the policemen shown to have acted badly that day, the
sanctions must extend to their bosses who allowed that to
happen."
ACN also insisted that Jonathan, his aides and the Peoples
Democratic Party could not distance themselves themselves
from the Rivers crisis.
It said, "Anyone with a conscience knows that the root of the
problem in Rivers lies in the President's bedroom, and no
amount of fanciful statements or name calling targeted at
those who are conscientious enough to call a spade a spade
will change that.
"This is why we are insisting that the President must be
impeached by the National Assembly for his failure to
respect the rule of law and the constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria which he has taken an oath to uphold."

Amaechi should be probed. The man has a lot of questions to answer from his connection to Jerry Rawlings of Ghana to the over 70 billion naira utopian fraud of a project known as the Port Harcourt Light Rail to this one

Now that the truth is out to the open for all to see,what can anti ameachi say now,jonathan and his foot soldiers are trying desperatly to get at ameachi not knowing that ameachi is not a walk over,,,what is delaying force head quarters from inviting commissioner Mbu for quetioning for his failure to be neutral in the rivers crisis?
The amazing thing about this whole drama title"remove ameachi by all means"is that,none of the agitators here on NL and in Aso rock cannot point a finger at ameachi's sins.
I advice mr jonathan,bipi,pej,tukur and the host of foools here to surrender cos they are fighting a loosed battle.write it down and mark the date.

Come o! Doyin Okupe hasn't been talking lately. Is he still alive?

Now that the Presidency is involved, Nigerians would know the true meaning of being "INVOLVED"... You want to be in PDP and dance with opposition? Amaechi! You must be kidding!

Armbersedors of poverty that is what they are.

So the President doesn't see anything wrong with 5 people out of 32 trying to impeach a speaker? He doesn't see anything wrong with bringing thugs into the house of assembly? He doesn't see anything wrong with a lawmaker ordering a governor to be shot?
I give up Nigeria!