Jonathan, a bully – Governors Forum

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The Progressive Governors Forum has accused President  Goodluck Jonathan of  using his powers to bully Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi  Amaechi.  The governors stated this on Friday while reacting to the  action of the armed  policemen that blocked one of the gates leading to the  Rivers State Government  House on Thursday.

The governors in a statement titled, “Blockade to Rivers  Government House:  Assault on Constitution and Descent to Anarchy”, said the  incident was a direct  affront on constitutional order.  They said, “A situation whereby  the Federal Government will use powers vested in it under the  constitution to bully  and intimidate state governments is unacceptable and should  be resisted by  every democratic government.

Continue after the break. 

  “We wish to unequivocally state our resolve to work with  all democrats in the  country to ensure adequate protection of democratic  governance.’’

  The statement was signed by Borno State Governor, Kashim  Shetima; Edo State  Governor, Adams Oshiomhole; Ekiti State Governor, Kayode  Fayemi; Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha;  Lagos State Governor, Babatunde  Fashola;  Nasarawa State Governor,  Tanko Almakura; Ogun State  Governor, Ibikunle  Amosun; Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; Oyo State  Governor, Abiola

Ajimobi; Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Geldam; and Zamfara  State Governor,  Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari. The governors’ statement came just as some Nigerians  condemned the action of the police authorities in Rivers and the police insisted  that they did not bar  the governor from accessing Government House.

 The governors said they received the news of the blockade with shock and disbelief, adding that crisis in Rivers  since July 2013 constituted a major threat to the nation’s  democracy.

They added that the situation in Rivers State was  unfortunate and   that all Nigerians must call on the Federal Government and  all its  agencies, including all arms of the security services, to respect the letter  and spirit of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.

They said, “In the specific case of Rivers State, provisions of Section 215(4)  of the 1999 Constitution must be fully respected. This  section provides that  the Governor “may give to the Commissioner of Police of  that state such lawful  directions with respect to the maintenance and security of  public safety and  public order within the state as he may consider necessary,  and the  Commissioner of Police shall comply with those directions or  cause them to be  complied with.’’

The governors  noted  that  the inability of  the federal Authorities to exercise all  the necessary  constitutional and moral authority to ensure the speedy  resolution of the  crisis had remained a source of danger for  the nation’s   democracy ,  the life of Amaechi and those of other public officers serving in the state.

  The governors   said the police action was a bad precedent and wondered if  it was a signal that a similar blockade could be mounted  against the President  at the Presidential Villa. The police had on Thursday stopped Amaechi from using the gate to gain entrance  into the Government House. The governor was in company with  102 former speakers  of state Houses of Assembly when a team of policemen  allegedly drafted by the  State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu, blocked the  Forces Avenue which  leads to the governor’s house in the Government House.

 The ex-Speakers were in the state capital for a meeting and  had gone on an  inspection tour after paying a courtesy visit to the  governor. Reacting, the New Peoples Democratic Party said what happened in Rivers State was  a sign that the country was returning to the dark days of  the former Head of  State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

A statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Chief  Chukwuemeka Eze, in Abuja on Friday, said many events in the  country had shown  that democracy was not being allowed to thrive.

“Indeed, General Sani Abacha must be lamenting in his grave that Nigerians  wrongly abused him considering the high degree of impunities  being encouraged  in a democratic set up, with the Police being used as a tool  to haunt political  opponents,” the faction said.

We didn’t block Amaechi – Police

However, the Rivers State  Police Command on Thursday denied blocking Governor Amaechi,

 from gaining  access into the Government House. The command in a statement signed by its Public Relations  Officer, Mrs. Angela  Agabe, described media reports on the matter as “incorrect, false,  fictitious and wrong in its entirety”.

The statement reads, “The attention of the police command has been drawn to  stories making the round in the media that the police  blocked the road to the  Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt, denying His  Excellency,  Governor Chibuike Amaechi ,access to the Government House.

  The police state categorically that they did not block the road leading to the  Government House, neither did they deny Governor Rotimi  Amaechi access to the  Government House in Port Harcourt or elsewhere.

“The story is incorrect, false, fictitious and wrong in  its entirety and it is  calculated to mislead the people of Rivers State, Nigerians  and the general  public. The Nigeria Police Force deems it necessary to place  in proper  perspective the event that gave rise to the wrong  information being peddled in  the media.’’

Amaechi lied – PDP

Also on Friday, the leadership of the PDP denied the blockade, saying that the governor misled Nigerians.  A statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of  the party, Chief  Olisa Metuh, alleged that the governor created an impression  that he was barred  by the police and the Federal Government from entering the  Government House.

 “This distortion of facts is totally unacceptable and  unbefitting of a  state governor,” Metu said, adding that  Amaechi was  aware that based  on the ruling of the courts, the police had sealed off a  secretariat illegally  opened by some individuals under the name, flag and colour  of the PDP.

We have no democracy again – Amaechi

Also on Friday, Amaechi reminisced  on the incident which he described as the height of lawlessness and impunity.   Amaechi, at an event for the former speakers in Port  Harcourt, explained that  Nigerians were now in a dispensation where the law was no  longer supreme and  urged the people to resist impunity.

 He said, “All of you saw how the former Speakers came down  from the vehicle to  tell them (police) where we were coming from, but the Police  resisted.   “It is for Nigerians to see that we no longer have democracy in this country.  We are now in a regime where the law is no longer supreme.  We must rise up  against this impunity against our democracy.”

    “The National Assembly and the various state houses of assembly should address  the retirement and welfare of the ex-lawmakers, it is very  important,” Amaechi  said.

The Chairman of the former Speakers’ Forum and ex-Speaker of the Plateau State  House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong, described the  police behaviour as the  highest level of impunity in the country. He also urged the  National Assembly  to call for the resignation of the Inspector General of  Police, Mr. Mohammed  Abubakar.

Lalong, who spoke on behalf of the ex-speakers, said that if  the police could  act so unfairly where a governor was concerned, ordinary  Nigerians were not safe.

  He said, “I don’t think it is really police overzealousness, but the police are  controlled by higher authorities. So, if that is what is  happening, I think  people should collectively call for the resignation of the  Inspector-General of  Police.

“Very soon, maybe they will start arresting people in their houses. I wonder  what is really happening. I think the President must  intervene in this issue.”

Also, a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora, expressed sadness at the action of the police.

Mamora said, “I think, to say the least, that (roadblock) was quite unfortunate  because we were coming from an inspection of projects. More  than 70 former  speakers were in the governor’s (Amaechi) entourage to  inspect projects and on  our way back to the Government House, we discovered that we  just couldn’t pass  because the road had been blocked.”

Peterside, Sagay, Okey, others react  In Abuja, a member of the House of  Representatives, who is also the Chairman, House Committee  on Downstream, Mr.  Dakuku Peterside, described  the police action  as the  height of  dictatorship in the country.

Peterside, who is from Rivers State, spoke via a statement issued by his media  aide, Mr. Sylvester Asoya.

He said, “A situation whereby the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu led  police in the State, an agency funded with tax payers money,  to block the elected  state governor  from having access to Government House,  showed that  Nigeria was on a free fall to maximum dictatorship.”

Peterside further lamented that “the insult on the  Government of Rivers State is an affront to all elected political office holders  in Nigeria that  requires definite condemnation by all lovers of freedom and  democracy.”

A former chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Oyo State, who is  now a leading figure in the newly registered All  Progressives Alliance,   Mr. Akin Oke, said the action of the police in Rivers State was a threat  to democracy, calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to caution  Mbu, for  disrespecting social equality.

Similarly, a respected lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), and the National Vice President, Committee for the Defense of  Human Rights, Mr. Taiwo Otitolaye, said the police action  was a threat to  democracy.

In separate telephone interviews with our correspondent in Ilorin on Friday, they advised against acts that  could jeopardize the nation’s democracy.

While   Sagay said the blockage  was an abuse of power and a violation of Nigeria’s constitution,  Otitolaye said it was  an act of brigandage.

“It is undemocratic.  We condemn it in strong terms. It is worrisome to us  now that we are not in a military dictatorship.  We do not  want to revert  to that era of military dictatorship. We ask that the presidency should not use  the police or other security apparatus for any undemocratic adventure. He  should desist henceforth from such,” Otitolaye  said.

Sagay described the police action as  a breach of the rule of law,  a breach of the right of the  freedom of the  movement of the governor; a breach of  Amaechi’s right to  go to his office   and an  inhumane act.  He said, “It is a breach of  everything. It should not be seen to happen in a civilized society or a  democratic society.”

Oke said, “The event of Thursday in Port Harcourt is  worrisome and disturbing, particularly at this point when we  are thinking that  democracy has come to stay. For democracy to thrive in Nigeria, there must be tolerance. When you now view it from the point that there is no tolerance  within the party (PDP), how do we grow our democracy?”