Jonathan/Amaechi Face-off Tears UNIPORT Alumni Apart

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Culled from Leadership
The face-off between President Goodluck Jonathan and Rivers State governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has led to a disagreement within the leadership of the University of Port Harcourt Alumni Association as members of the executive committee of the association are divided over who to support.

While some members of the executive committee, led by the national president and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Ike Chinwo are behind Amaechi, others led by the first national vice president, Chief Edward Ngene are queuing behind Jonathan.

The pro-Jonathan faction of the alumni association had after its meeting on February 7, 2014 allegedly passed a vote of no confidence on Chinwo over what they described as ‘his inability to pilot the affairs of the association along a non-partisan path.’ But Chinwo, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, said he remains the national president of the association, despite the alleged vote of no confidence passed on him by the Ngene-led faction of the association, adding that none of the processes stipulated in the constitution of the association was followed while passing the vote of no confidence on him.

The statement, which was personally signed by the former member representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, reads in part; “My attention has been drawn to a publication in which some members of the executive committee of the alumni association stated that I should be excused from the performance of my functions as the national president and that by the doctrine of necessity, the first national vice president should act in that capacity.

“This amounts to an impeachment which the executive committee lacks the powers to do as enshrined in our constitution. It is important to mention that the process of impeachment of the national president and indeed any national officer is clearly spelt out in Article 11, Section 2 of our constitution, which we all swore to uphold.

“It is pertinent to state that none of these steps has been taken and no written allegation was received at the last executive meeting held on February 7, 2014 at the National Secretariat. Even if any allegation was received in line with the provisions of our constitution, it is only the National Executive Council comprising the branch presidents that can initiate any of those processes.”