2015: Amaechi Raises The Alarm Over Plot By Presidency To Install PDP Governor
Rivers State governor and chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF),
Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has raised the alarm over plots by the
Presidency to use the new commissioner of police in the state, Mr Dan
Bature, to install a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor in the
state come 2015.
Amaechi said reports from two national dailies revealed that Bature has
been instructed by the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, to cause
crisis in the state, and tackle the governor and his supporters, so as
to create room for a governorship aspirant of the PDP to emerge as the
next governor of the state.
A statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, and signed by the chief
press secretary to the governor, David Iyofor, alleged that Dame
Jonathan was the brain behind the redeployment of Bature to the state,
solely for the purpose of executing the script of installing a PDP
governor.
The statement said, “Over the weekend, the media was awash with reports
of a fresh sinister plot to throw Rivers State into avoidable crisis.
According to the reports as they concern Rivers State, the new
commissioner of police, Dan Bature, has been directed by the Presidency
to install a certain Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial
aspirant as governor in the 2015 elections.
“The PUNCH and The NATION went further to reveal that the new Rivers
police commissioner has been instructed by the Presidency (both papers
mentioned the first lady) to use the former Rivers police commissioner,
Joseph Mbu’s draconian style and tactics in causing crisis in Rivers
State.
“He is to tackle Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, his supporters and
Rivers people and then install the preferred candidate as governor. The
NATION fingered the Presidency (again, the first lady) in Bature’s
deployment to Rivers State for the purpose of executing this toxic
script.
“While it is easy for a few in the Presidency to dismiss these reports,
we in Rivers State, with the benefit of hindsight and our collective
recent bitter experience in the hands of former police commissioner,
Joseph Mbu who was also reported to have a similar mandate, cannot.”
It stated that the people of the state will resist any attempt by the
Presidency to unconstitutionally install a preferred PDP candidate as
governor of the state at any time, including in 2015, pointing out that
there is no provision in the Constitution of the country that allows the
Presidency to install a preferred candidate as governor of a state.
The statement further reads, “Rivers’ voters must be allowed to and will
freely choose and elect their governor in the 2015 elections. It is
their inalienable democratic right that they will not and will never
surrender to anyone or institution, including The Presidency. We must
warn that the looming danger ahead for our polity and our country is
indeed ominous, if this noxious script is acted out. This is an
avoidable crisis that must be avoided by all parties mentioned in the
reports”.
The people of Rivers State will strongly and bravely resist any attempt
by anyone or institution, including The Presidency, to
unconstitutionally install the preferred PDP aspirant as governor of the
state, now or in the 2015 election. There is no provision in the
Nigerian Constitution and laws for the ‘installation’ of a preferred
aspirant as governor of a state by The Presidency. What our laws
prescribe is a free and fair election that must be devoid of police and
security forces coercion, harassment, and intimidation of voters.
“Again, we congratulate and welcome the new Commissioner of Police in
Rivers State, Dan Bature. We expect and hope that he would act
professionally and would firmly resist any external influences and
pressure to be politically biased and partisan in the discharge of his
duties to Rivers people as the police chief. We pray that God and his
conscience guide him to do only what is constitutional, lawful, right,
just and fair in the policing of Rivers State.
We assure Rivers people
that we will remain vigilant as we head towards the 2015 elections.”
