Rivers Crisis: Presidential plot to impeach Amaechi deepens

The Presidency has been blamed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State chapter of being responsible for the lingering crisis in the state judiciary with the sole aim of impeaching Governor Chibuike Amaechi.

The party, in a statement issued on Wednesday (yesterday) in Port Harcourt by the Senior Special Assistant and Public Af­fairs to the State Chairman of APC, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, described the development as the height of impunity. The party condemned what it called, ‘show of shame’ witnessed in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, 2014, where some armed and fierce-looking policemen, brutalized innocent citizens, who were protesting the breaking of court gate, to grant access to Justice Daisy Okocha, to meet with Judges in the Chief Judge’s chambers.
“This is the height of impunity by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled Presidency, which has tried almost everything in the book, in a failed bid to illegally remove the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, from office”, he said.
It will be recalled that the crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) started when some thugs, alleged to be supporters of a serving minister, stormed the venue of a gathering, organised by a group, ‘The Mainstream Coalition, Rivers State’.
It was alleged that Main Stream Coalition was against the governorship ambition of the minister and committed to the emergence of a riverine gubernatorial candidate, on the platform of PDP, in 2015. Political offices in Rivers State had always been zoned along the line of Riverine/Upland.
Many people were said to be injured during the melee while chairs and doors of the venue of the meeting were destroyed. Many people, including journalists ran helter-skelter to avoid being attacked by the hired thugs.
Some of the prominent politicians at the event were smuggled out of the venue by their aides, while people, who tried to escape from the trouble zone, trampled on an elderly woman.
Addressing newsmen, the spokesman of Concerned Rivers State PDP Stakeholders, Prof. Israel Owate, condemned the attack, adding that no amount of intimidation would deter the Riverine people from clamouring to rule the state after Governor Chibuike Amaechi.
He said the state and the constitution of PDP recognised zoning of political offices, saying: “The popular desire of Rivers people therefore, is that another ethnic group apart from Ndoni and Ikwerre, should produce the Rivers State governor.” This is because Dr. Odili is from Ndoni while Omehia and Amaechi are from Ikwerre.” He accused the Felix Obuah/Walter Ibibia-led PDP of alleged inactivity, which according to him, had resulted in mass departure of members to All Progressives Congress (APC).