Amaechi's Invitation To Chaos In Rivers State Must Be Halted
1. The Peoples Democratic Party Rivers State Chapter TOTALLY CONDEMNS the Governor Rotimi Amaechi orchestrated DIRECTIVEof the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission referenced JSC/DIR/VOL.1/014/01, dated 2nd June 2014 and signed by K. B. GAAGE, ESQ., the Secretary of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission, that states as follows and we quote:
' DIRECTIVE
I am directed by the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission to notify you that in its meeting held on Monday, the 2nd day of June, 2014, it was resolved as follows:
(1) All none Judicial staff from the Judicial Service Commission Secretary, the Chief Registrar, Sectional Heads and all other category of staff in the Rivers State Judiciary in the eleven (11) Judicial Divisions of the High Court of Rivers State should on no account take official directives or instructions pertaining to their official duties from any appointed administrative Judge or any other person not constitutionally appointed by the Governor of Rivers State or the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission.
(2) Any disobedience to this directive shall be viewed as official misconduct and shall be visited with stern disciplinary action including dismissal.
(3) All staff should discountenance any correspondence from the National Judicial Council to this effect.
(SIGNATURE).
K. B. GAAGE, ESQ.
SECRETARY'
2. The Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter observes that the aforementioned directive which is a response to the administrative instructions of the National Judicial Council given on the 28thday of May 2014 that the most Senior Judge of the High Court of Rivers State and the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal respectively 'perform the functions of assigning cases to all Judges' of the respective Courts and also 'carry out other related administrative duties' is to say the very least, infantile.
3. The Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter reiterates its firmly held position that the said Directive is of no legal effect.
4. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 provides that the Chief Judge of Rivers State is the CHAIRMAN of Rivers State Judicial Service Commission. Currently, Rivers State HAS NO CHIEF JUDGE. In consequence, the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission currently HAS NO CHAIRMAN. We therefore wonder who with constitutional authority convened and presided over a meeting of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission. We also wonder who really instructed the said Secretary of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission, K. B. Gaage, Esq., who should ordinarily know better, to write the said Directive.
5. The Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter notes that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 does not envisage a vacuum in the office of the Chief Judge of a State. It therefore made no provision for any person other than the Chief Judge of a State to convene and preside over the meeting of the Judicial Service Commission of a State.
6. We ask:
(a) . In the absence of a Chief Judge in Rivers State, WHO convened the much touted meeting of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission?
(b). Which Chief Judge presided? Or;
(c). Is it that the Attorney General of Rivers State under the 'Constitution' of the 'Republic of Rivers State' is now the Chairman of the 'Republic of Rivers State' Judicial Service Commission?
7. We state that the meeting of the 2ndday of June 2014 touted in the above-mentioned Directive at which a resolution was reached officially withdrawing the Rivers State Judiciary's recognition of the Constitutional role of the National Judicial Council in the affairs of the Nigerian Judiciary is completely without legal force. We also state that the Directive emanating from the said unconstitutional meeting of the 2nd day of June 2014 is not worth the paper on which it is written. We call on all concerned to ignore the said Directive.
8. The Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter unequivocally states that by this phony Directive Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his acolytes have in writing signified the withdrawal of their recognition of both the Chief Justice of Nigeria as the Chief Judicial Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council as the preeminent Constitutional organ for the administration of the Judiciary in Nigeria.
9. The Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter further states that this is part of the Governor Amaechi led Rivers State Government's grand plot to deny recognition to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and all its institutions as recently evidenced by the absence of Governor Amaechi or his representative at the recent meeting held by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces with the Governors of Oil Producing States.
10. The Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter warns that Governor Amaechi is gradually steering Rivers State into the path of secession and anarchy with its attendant consequences.
11. The Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter on whose platform Governor Amaechi was elected before his unprincipled 'decamping' to another political party through this medium calls on all its members and the good people of Rivers State to be prepared to resist by all lawful means and by self-defence where necessary the lawlessness Governor Amaechi seeks to enthrone in Rivers State and the path which he is coercing us into. We say loud and clear: WE SHALL NOT BE COWED.
12. The Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter gives UNEQUIVOCAL NOTICE to the one or two Judges of the High Court of Rivers State sitting in Judicial Divisions outside the Port Harcourt Judicial Division whom Governor Amaechi and his acolytes regularly use to obtain despicable orders that their orders would henceforth be viewed as a calculated attempt to enable Governor Amaechi ENTHRONE ANARCHY in Rivers State.
13. The Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter also calls on all security agencies in Rivers State and the Federation at large, particularly the Department of State Security and the Nigerian Police Force to restrain their officers and men from being witting and/or unwitting tools in Governor Amaechi's deliberate and well calculated attempt to propel Rivers State into secession and anarchy. These agencies must in clear terms communicate to Governor Amaechi that they are not part of his sinister plans.
14. We, the Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter speak to all none Judicial Staff of the Rivers State Judiciary and say:
(a). You cannot be dismissed for obeying lawful orders. Any such dismissal shall surely be reversed by the in-coming Peoples Democratic Party Government in Rivers State.
(b) Your duty is owed to Rivers State and not to Governor Amaechi and his acolytes whose lawlessness is notorious and now judicially noticed.
(c). All of us in Rivers State are with joy and elation counting down to Amaechi's inevitable exit from power on May 29, 2015 or earlier, if God wills, bringing to an end his thoroughly despicable era in governance.
(d). Unfortunately, your Rivers State House of Assembly has been converted to 'Rivers State Government House of Assembly' or better still 'Amaechi House of Assembly' by Governor Amaechi. Your elected members of the House of Assembly and ombudsmen who are now his lap poodles are no longer capable of calling him to order. All of you must come together let us at each opportunity call the crazed despot to order.
(e). We assure you that the Peoples Democratic Party is poised to take back power in less than a year to the eternal glory of God and for the benefit of our commonwealth.
(f). You may suffer temporary discomfort from Governor Amaechi's wickedness but like everything wicked, courage, endurance, perseverance and the grace of God puts paid to it.
(g). We therefore call on you to use your collective will as evidenced in your various associations to resist all attempts by Governor Amaechi to intimidate, harass, dehumanise and degrade you. That way you will go down in history as patriots who halted Governor Amaechi's invitation to chaos in Rivers State.
15. Finally, we condemn in the strongest terms the letter by the Chief Registrar of the High Court of Rivers State, L. K. Adoki, Esq. referenced RS/JUD/6/Vol.1/37/14 dated June 3, 2014 and addressed 'TO ALL SECTIONAL HEADS OF RIVERS STATE JUDICIARY' by which the void Directive of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission was circulated. It is unfortunate that such a high officer of the Judiciary would permit himself to be used so despicably.
16. The Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter calls on all its members and the Good People of Rivers State to be resolute and always prepared to resist Governor Amaechi's brand of Fascism.
17. WE SHALL OVERCOME AND THE INVITATION TO CHAOS HALTED.
DATED THIS 4TH DAY OF JUNE 2014
Jerry sign new 1
Jerry Needam
Special Adviser, Media
To Rivers State PDP Chairman,
Bro Felix Obuah