Amachree still Rivers House speaker, says group

Okafor ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The 26 pro-Governor Chibuike Amaechi members of the Rivers State House of Assembly today debunked reports of the impeachment of the Speaker, Otelemaba Daniel Amachree by five renegade members of the Assembly.

A statement signed by Dan Amachree and the other 25 lawmakers said: “We state for the benefit of the public that no such situation existed on the floor of the House on the 9th of July, 2013. These are mere machinations of the five members desperate to do their masters bidding”.

The lawmakers declared their whole-hearted support for Speaker Otelemaba Dan Amachree and Governor Amaechi.

They condemned those they called agents of the “desperate Abuja based politicians”. whose mission, they said was “to scuttle democracy in Rivers State”.

“We call on the Inspector-General Police to ensure the safety of lives and property in Rivers State.”

The Lawmakers however urged Rivers people to remain calm and peaceful.

The Pro Amaechi lawmakers used to be 27 but in the statement only 26 of them signed the statement.

Mr. Jim Odede Okpiki, the Press Secretary to the Speaker explained that the signatures were obtained from those who were physically present in the country.

He said the Tonye Harry, the immediate past Speaker representing Degema Constituency is out of the country, but assured that he is with Amaechi.

Meanwhile,the factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP,Mr Felix Obuah,has condemned the takeover of Rivers House of Assembly by the House of Representatives.

Obuah who is loyal to Nyesom Wike and President Goodluck Jonathan accused Governor Chibuike Amaechi of hiring party thugs to disrupt proceedings at the assembly and also supervised the beating up of the five lawmakers opposed to him.

He said that as a party,it recognises Evans Bipi as the new Speaker of the Rivers Assembly and congratulated him for his emergence.

Amaechi on his part,condemned the role of the Police in the chaos at the Assembly because of the refusal to provide security for the lawmakers even after a proper request was made to the Rivers State Command.

The Governor said this when the Pro-Amaechi lawmakers paid him a solidarity visit in Government House.

He pledged that the state Government will pick up the hospital bills of all the lawmakers and individuals who sustained injuries in the crisis.