6th May, 2013
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has warned President Goodluck Jonathan to prevent the political crisis in Rivers State, southsouth Nigeria, from escalating to avoid dire consequences.
Soyinka in a statement made available to P.M.NEWS Monday, decried the abusive use of the police to trample on democratic norms, warning that, “before the irretrievable point of escalation is reached, we have a duty to sound a collective alarm, even without the lessons of past violations of constitutional rights and apportionments of elected representatives of the people, and their consequences.
“There is an opportunity in Rivers state to break this spiraling culture of executive impunity -manifested in both subtle and crude ways – that is fast becoming the norm in a post-military dispensation that fitfully aspires to be called a democracy.”
According to him, “the increasing flash points in the nation have reached an unsustainable level, and responsible governance must accept that it is an urgent duty to diminish, not increase them. Even the notoriously short Nigerian memory remains traumatized by recollection of the rape of Anambra that was enabled by the connivance of federal might, and the abandonment of all moral scruples in executive disposition.
“The people of Ogun state were humiliated by the antics of a power besotted governor, with their elected legislators locked out of the State Assembly for upwards of a year. That hideous travesty was again made possible by the abusive use of the police.
“Even a child in this nation knows that the police derives its enabling and operational authority from the dictates of the Centre, so there can be no disguising whose will is being executed wherever democratic norms are flouted and the people’s rights ground to mush under dictatorial heels.”
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Rivers State House Of Assembly, Otelemaba Amachree has again adjourned sitting indefinitely over alleged plot by Abuja-based politicians to sponsor protests from today with the active connivance of security agencies.
The House of Assembly has been embroiled in crisis since the suspension of the Chairman, Prince Timothy Nsirim and 17 Councillors of Obio-Akpor local Government Council by the Rivers State House of Assembly over allegations of financial impropriety and breach of security in the council.
The Obio-Akpor Councillors are loyal to Mr. Nyesom Wike, the Minister of State. Since their suspension and replacement with a Caretaker Committee Chairman, Mr. Chikordi Dike and others there has been crisis in the council.
The political crisis came to a head when a team of policemen on Friday, 3 May, 2013 in Romuodomaya who claimed to have orders from above (the Rivers State Commissioner of Police and Police Inspector-General) sealed off the Council Secretariat after Mrs. Patience Jonathan’s refusal to recognise Mr. Chikordi Dike, who was among the public officer holders that went to welcome her on arrival at the airport on Friday.
Amachree had sent a press statement about 12 midnight raising alarm about “the commencement of the planned gradual collapse of security and democratic structures of our state.
“In their avowed resolve to destabilise the state, a series of planned protests has been concluded by the Abuja-based politicians with the collaboration of some politicians and security agencies in the state with effect from 6 May, 2013 as a continuation of the Operation Storm Rivers,” he said.
Citing the statement by the spokesman of the state police command, Ben Ugwuegbulam, that “the policemen were drafted to forestall a planned attack on the secretariat by some persons,” he said the takeover of the Obio-Akpor Council Secretariat by the police was a fore taste of what they intend to do to all democratic structures in the state.
Amachree stated that ironically, a request by the House for the deployment of policemen to protect the assembly complex, earlier approved, was unceremoniously withdrawn by the Commissioner of police Rivers State Command on ‘’orders from above’’.
He said the lawmakers are “aware of plans to disrupt the sitting of the house through violent acts by five members of the House intended to culminate in sporadic shootings and firing of teargas by security agencies outside the chambers under the guise of maintaining law and order.”
The Speaker said they have been inundated with threats of arrests, assassinations and violence of all descriptions on the persons of the Speaker and 26 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
He said the name of the Presidency has been used by these five members of the house in their unguarded utterances and intimidation.
He said the scheduled sitting of 6 May, 2013 has been postponed, and all citizens of the state are advised to remain calm in the face of these unwarranted provocations.
The Speaker also said that there is a plan to arrest him, the Commissioner of Finance and other top supporters of Governor Amaechi.
The House of Assembly condemned what it called “planned war of dangerous attrition and actions to destabilise our dear state and destroy its young democracy” and called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the brazen abuse of office and the immediate redeployment of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mbu out of Rivers State as he can no longer carry out his constitutional duties legally.
Thousands of Concerned Obio-Akpor Local Government people started a peaceful protest in the early hours of today, calling on Governor Amaechi and the House of Assembly to reinstate their suspended elected chairman.
Some of the inscriptions on their placards read: “Amaechi Respect the Rule Law, Return our Chairman,” “No To Caretaker Committee,” “Amaechi Respect President Goodluck Jonathan,” “Rivers Assembly Stop Being Rubber Stamp” etc. as they marched along the busy Ikwerre road.
Attempt by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Tony Okocha, Chikordi Dike, the Caretaker Chairman and the Commissioner of Agriculture Okey Chinda, to get access to Obio-Akpor Council secretariat was disallowed by the police.
Okocha said that they are not perturbed because they saw the script before they started executing it but they will fail.
Governor Amaechi has just returned from Canada where he was in the delegation of Vice President Namadi Sambo.
—Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt