Rivers Assembly crisis reactions: Accusing fingers point at Jonathan The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has heaped the blame for the ongoing crisis in Rivers State on President Goodluck Jonathan and asked the National Assembly to immediately commence impeachment proceedings against him, for failing to live up to his oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said with the unmistakable support for a group of renegade lawmakers who are fomenting trouble in Rivers State, the President has become a “clear and present danger to the country’s democracy, and must be shown the way out in accordance with the Constitution.” The ACN alleged that under President Jonathan’s watch, a few lawmakers dictated to majority of the members of the Ogun State House of Assembly, which was locked for a long time, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum was sabotaged, and now five lawmakers out of 32 are trying to impeach the Governor. “ As we write, Rivers state has been taken over by current and former militants who have been unleashed to destabilize the state and cause a breakdown of law and order, to pave the way for the imposition of a State of Emergency. The party decried the anarchy that is now reigning in Rivers, simply because the five renegade lawmakers have the backing of the presidency, which has emboldened them to take extra-Constitutional measures to try to remove the majority-backed Speaker of the State House of Assembly. It’s not true- Presidency Special adviser to the President on public affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe denied the allegation. He said the reaction of the ACN to the event in the Rivers State House of Assembly calls for concern by all patriotic Nigerians. He said the position of the ACN is condemnable, extremist and fundamentally flawed. “For the avoidance of doubt and at the risk of repetitiveness, we wish to state categorically that in spite of what the ACN will want the Nigerian people to believe, President Goodluck Jonathan is absolutely unconnected and definitely not involved in the political crisis that seemed to have engulfed Rivers State in recent times. “The President is not, has not and will never engineer any act that can cause disaffection between Governor Rotimi Amaechi or any other Governor and the state legislature or any other institution of government.” The Presidency said the call by the ACN for the impeachment of Mr President “is the limit of tolerable nonsense and a clear descent into inglorious political rascality.” ‘Jonathan planned Ameachi’s removal before China trip’ National coordinator of Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen (CNPAPB), Dr .Muhammad Junaid has said that President Goodluck Jonathan perfected the plan for the impeachment of Governor Rotimi Amechi of Rivers state before travelling to China. Junaid who stated this in a chat with newsmen in Dutse yesterday said “the President is behind the whole saga . He said “It was planned in the Presidency, I knew three days before the President travelled what was going to be unleashed on Port-Harcourt and on the State House of Assembly in order to remove Ameachi by force.” The medical practitioners said as a matter of urgency, the National Assembly should recall Jonathan from his trip to China to come and face the crisis at home because his previous global gallivanting has not brought any investment to the country. Plan to remove Rivers speaker, coup against democracy- Ekiti Assembly The Ekiti State House of Assembly, has described the attempted bid to impeach the Speaker of the River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Otelemaba Dan Amanchree by five of the members of the assembly as a coup against democracy. Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the Majority Leader in the Assembly, Churchill Adedipe condemned the action of the state police commissioner, Mr Joseph Mbu, describing it as uncalled for saying it confirms that Nigeria is running a warped and lopsided democracy. While condemning the desperation of some politicians ahead of 2015 general election, Adedipe urged Nigerians to be on the alert in 2015 to ensure free and fair election . Adedipe said the attempted impeachment was targeted at Amaechi by some powerful people in and outside the state and wondered why the Rivers Governor is being pursued over his stand on the Sovereign National Wealth Fund and his re-election for second term as the Chairman of Nigerian Governor’ Forum. He said, “ This is an assault on the legislative arm as an institution and our democracy. This scenario had happened in Ogun, Oyo and Anambra States when minority forces their ways into the Assembly and impeached or attempted to impeach the governor. Nigerians should not allow this democracy to be truncated by the actions of some unscrupulous politicians. PDP condemns ACN over statement The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday condemned in strong terms statement by the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in which it indicted President Goodluck Jonathan in the recent developments in the Rivers State House Assembly. PDP Acting National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Tony Caesar Okeke, in a release described the ACN statement in which it also called for the impeachment of the President as “malicious and the height of political irresponsibility”. The party accused the opposition of seeking to aggravate the situation in Rivers state for selfish reasons. Okeke said it was appalling that the ACN would always seek to distort facts to the extent of trying to link the President to the situation in Rivers state in a desperate bid to tarnish his image and bring him to public odium. “This is malicious and indeed the height of political irresponsibility on the part of the opposition. It is highly appalling that the ACN in its usual homage to lies and distortion of facts will go to the extent of dragging the name of the President into the issue just to tarnish his image and bring him to public odium. “President Goodluck Jonathan has continued to display commitment, candour and sincerity in handling national issues. It is therefore a sign of frustration, desperation and defeat for the opposition to call for the impeachment of the President on account of the issues in Rivers state”, the statement said. Crisis threat to security- Tsav Former Lagos Police Commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav yesterday condemned the Rivers State Assembly crisis, saying the trouble rocking the House was a threat to security and democracy. Tsav also blamed the development on President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife who he accused of masterminding the plot to unsettle governance in the oil rich state. He berated the police for allowing themselves to be used by the president and his wife instead of being nuetral or unbiased. “The police who should be neutral and unbiased have neglected fairplay and allowed themselves to be used by the president and his wife. Even a child knows that what is happening in Rivers state is caused by GEJ, his wife, Bayelsa permanent secretary, Madam Patience Jonathan and Rivers state Commissioner of Police, Mbu. These people, due to inordinate ambition and desperation want to plunge the country into another crisis. Ironically, none of them fought the civil war as to appreciate the sacrifices our soldiers faced to keep Nigeria one,” Tsav stressed. jigawa PDP condemns Rivers Assembly crisis Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jigawa State, Alhaji Mahmud Kuit also condemned the crisis rocking the Rivers State House of Assembly describing it as a threat to democracy. Mahmud who spoke to Journalists yesterday in Dutse, said it is a shame for five people to attempt to remove the Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly by force. “It is wrong for honorable members to resort to fisticuffs over an issue that could have been settled by dialogue. The Rivers state Assembly crisis is sending a wrong signal on Nigeria’s democracy,” he said. The PDP chairman said if the crisis is because of 2015, President Jonathan should know that the Amaechi issue alone cannot make him President. culled daily trust
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 16:12:13 +0000
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