Hold Amaechi responsible for Rivers crisis – Presidency
The Presidency has said Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, should be held responsible for the crisis that has bedevilled the State, particularly last Tuesday’s show of shame at the State House of Assembly.
It accused Amaechi of physically supervising the beating of a lawmaker to the point of being in coma, going by the video evidence that had both his Chief of Staff and the ADC physically assaulting a lawmaker.
It said President Jonathan is a victim of Amaechi’s mischief plan, and that the governor ignored the plea of the commissioner of police not to go into the House of Assembly leading to the show of shame that endangered peoples lives.
Speaking to State House correspondents yesterday, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, described as mischievous anybody that tries to rope in President Goodluck Jonathan.
Gulak said, “It is mischief to say that the President is behind the crisis in Rivers State. The President cannot be part of the crisis in that state. He is a man of peace.
“The problem in Rivers State is the internal wrangling of the administration of the governor. It is sad that when there are crises in the assembly, the governor will physically drive to the House of Assembly to partake in the crises.
“We have seen the videos, the CSO to the governor, the ADC and the orderly were right inside the chambers, partaking in the bout. We saw the Majority Leader of the Amaechi group who was wearing a white dress and was using the mace to beat people. The video is clear.
“Immediately after, he left the House of Assembly and went to the Government House and laid down in a bed in the Government House Clinic pretending.
“The fact is that in this crisis of Rivers State, the governor should be held responsible because if he did not go physically to the House of Assembly, those guys won’t have been emboldened to be beating people there.
“Moreso, that his security aides were right inside the chambers, the sacred chambers, which ordinarily nobody is allowed to enter apart from the members. So I repeat that Amaechi should be held responsible for what happened.
“He should not drag Jonathan’s name into this matter. Rather, it is the President that is the victim of Amaechi’s mischief plan. He is claiming the state is under siege and that the commissioner of police is against him whereas the CP physically warned him not to go physically into the House of Assembly.
“In Nigeria, we have seen crisis in Houses of Assembly before. There was a time Adamawa State House of Assembly was closed for three months because of crisis, we did not see the governor drive physically into the assembly. Thereafter, the issue was resolved”.
Asked the way out of the crisis, Gudlak said, “The way out is for all parties to abide by the constitution. There is separation of power in the constitution. We have the judiciary, legislature and executive. When there are crises in the House of Assembly like this, the governor is not supposed to physically partake in the crises, driving down and using his security aides to physically partake is wrong.
“We in the PDP have put machinery in place to see that this crisis is resolved once and for all if the governor is still in the PDP because what we have seen is opposition members talking”.
Meanwhile, on Soyinka’s remarks fingering the President and his wife, Gudlak said, “Soyinka, without knowing the fact just went public to blame the President and his wife for what is happening in the state. He is an elder statesman, I don’t want to join issues with him but I will say that he should be responsible”.
On allegations that the crisis in the state was a ploy to impeach the governor, the presidential aid said, “I am not aware of any plan to impeach the governor and the President is not aware even if there are such plans. But what I know is that the House of Assembly intended to change their leadership, rightly or wrongly, they have a constitution right to do it if they have the majority.
“But that will not warranty a governor to physically come to the assembly and physically partake in the fight”.