♦ Majority leader, Speaker beaten
♦ Bipi made himself Speaker for a few minutes
♦ Bipi asked his cops, thugs to shoot Governor Amaechi
♦ Bipi resisted arrest
♦ Order later restored, with Speaker Amachree taking charge
The Rivers state House of Assembly in south-south Nigeria, for some minutes Tuesday, witnessed a very rowdy session after two months of adjournment as pro Governor Rotimi Amaechi legislators battled five renegade lawmakers rooting for the political opponents of the governor.
The minority lawmakers, whose agenda was to impeach the governor made the impeachment of Speaker Otelemaba Amachree and other principal officers the first priority. They thus sneaked into the House Chambers at about 8.30 am much earlier than the normal sitting of the House and smuggled in a mace.
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But they met eight Pro-Amaechi lawmakers including the Speaker Otelemaba Amachree, Chidi Llyod, the majority Leader and six others in the assembly. Frustrated that their coup was a mission impossible, one of the five rebels, Evans Bapakaye Bipi, went straight to Chidi Llyod’s seat and physically assaulted him.
It was a show of shame such that in the course of fighting with dangerous weapons, the Speaker and Leader of the House, Chidi Lloyd, a lawyer, who represents Emohua constituency and loyal to Amaechi were injured. Lloyd is still in the hospital.
Two anti-Amaechi lawmakers: Martins Amewhule and Michael Okechukwu Chinda were also seriously and are also being hospitalised. As Llyod and Bipi exchanged blows, the Speaker who stepped in to separate them was also attacked by Bipi.
Another account said the five lawmakers loyal to the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, reportedly initially managed to impeach the Speaker, Otelemaba Dan Amachree, with a new Speaker, Evans Bapakaye Bipi, who represents Ogu/Bolo constituency, elected to replace him.
As Bipi mounted the speaker’s seat to give his acceptance/maiden speech, the Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, stormed the main chambers of the Assembly, with Amachree, other loyal lawmakers and security men, leading to a clash between the two groups. A free-for-all started, with blows being exchanged by both sides.
Lloyd was injured, while Martins Amaehule another anti-Ameachi Lawmaker representing Obio-Akpor was also injured and rushed to St Patricks Hospital at Ogbunabali in Port Harcourt for treatment. As the fracas degenerated, some of the pro-Amaechi lawmakers ran for their dear lives because of the many thugs brought into the Assembly premises by Bipi and his group.
The moment was seized by the minority lawmakers, as a member of the group, Victor Ihunwo, representing Port Harcourt constituency stepped into the Speaker’s seat to “Pilot “ the affairs. Martins Amaehule moved the “motion” for the “Impeachment” of the Speaker who has been rushed out after the physical assault. Kelechi Worgu an anti-Amaechi, representing Omuma Constituency “supported” the motion and thereafter announced Bipi as the new “Speaker.”
Governor Amaechi who was alerted to the fracas and the breakdown of law and order at the Assembly, arrived at the Assembly chambers, just in time to hear Evans Babakaya Bipialaka give a vote thanks for his ‘election’ as speaker of four other members.
According to witnesses, Bipialaka on sighting the Governor, ordered some thugs and policemen to “shoot him!!!…shoot him!!!”, while pointing at the Governor. Amaechi was said to have walked towards him and saying: “Shoot me?” The Governor thereafter ordered his security men that came with him to arrest Bipialaka.
Commissioner for Information, Ibim Semenitari, in a telephone interview with Channels Television revealed that commotion started when Mr Bipi walked up to the speaker and started ‘slapping’ him as members were still exchanging pleasantries.
“While that was going on, they didn’t know that some hoodlums had accessed the assembly. The governor (Rotimi Amaechi) was informed and therefore left the government house to go and ensure that people were protected. As the governor got there, some people began to shout ‘shoot him’ ‘shoot him.’
"They were standing in the gallery. These were policemen who are paid by tax payers When somebody tried to rush to attack the governor, people had to protect the governor” she disclosed.
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