Protesters, believed to be acting
at the behest of people opposed
to Rivers State Governor, Rotimi
Amaechi, on Tuesday pelted the
motorcade of four northern
governors who are currently on
a solidarity visit to Port Harcourt.
The protesters had besieged the
airport shortly before the arrival
of Governors Murtala Nyako
(Adamawa), Sule Lamido (Jigawa)
and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) at
the Port Harcourt International
Airport.
Chanting anti-Amaechi slogans,
the protesters berated the
governors for intervening in
Rivers State’s internal crisis.
The three governors, our
sources say, however remained
at the VIP Lounge of the airport
for about an hour waiting for
Niger State Governor, Babangida
Aliyu, to arrive.
After Governor Aliyu arrived, the
governors drove out of the
airport in a waiting motorcade
provided by their host. But as
their cars drove out of the
airport and headed towards the
Rivers State Government House,
the protesters became violent
pelting the motorcade with
stones, water bottles, sticks and
other items.
However, the governors arrived
the Government House safe,
without any major incident, and
are now holding a closed-door
meeting with Mr. Amaechi.
The visiting governors have
been firm supporters of the
embattled Rivers governor.
Insiders say they are visiting in
the wake of the recent state-
sponsored unrest, to which
many commentators have
pointed accusing fingers at
federal authorities.
Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate
and professor of literature, at a
press conference in Lagos last
week, cautioned Patience
Jonathan, wife of President
Jonathan, against invasively
inserting herself in the politics of
the state, and working secretly
as matron to forces trying to
unseat Mr. Amaechi and make
the state ungovernable.
Mrs. Jonathan has denied the
claims, drawing wide
amusement when she described
the Nobel Laureate as an
“embarrassment.”
The Minister of State for
Education, Nyesom Wike, also
reportedly arrived Port Harcourt
on Tuesday.
Mr. Wike, an indigene of Rivers
State, has been accused of being
an arrowhead of the anti-
Amaechi group.
The Rivers State Governor has
been having a running battle
with the presidency over his
stance on major public issues. He
has since been suspended from
the PDP.
The crisis in the state worsened
last week when five state
lawmakers, loyal to the
presidency, attempted to
impeach the Speaker of the
Rivers State House of Assembly.
The speaker and 26 other
lawmakers are loyal to Mr.
Amaechi, the Chairman of the
Nigeria Governors Forum. The
violent crisis in the assembly
was widely publicised on
television and social media.
Mr. Amaechi has since called for
the redeployment of the Rivers
State Commissioner of Police
who is accused of playing a
partisan role in the crisis.
Efforts to reach the Rivers
Information Commissioner, Ibim
Semenitari, on the details of the
governors’ visit have been
unsuccessful as she is yet to
answer our calls