The political crisis in Rivers State portends danger for
Nigeria’s democracy and capable of taking the state backwards in
terms of development. The political battle in the “Treasure Base
of the Nation’’ is about who gets what position in the state Peoples
Democratic Party in 2015. And the warring factions, all from the PDP
family, are taking it for granted that there is no credible opposition
in the state, fighting like deaf and dumb, leaving no chance or
opportunity for reconciliation and peace.Even, Governor Chibuike
Amaechi’s opponents, who thought they could ‘topple’ him in a matter of
months, especially after the judgment of Abuja High Court, which
sacked Godspower U. Ake executive on April 15, 2013, have since
realised that they miscalculated and are ashamed of admitting this
obvious fact publicly. Not even the anti-Amaechi protesters, which,
among others, comprised ex-militants, could achieve much in the pursuit
of goal of those they were working for. They failed to successfully,
facilitate and fast track the impeachment of the Speaker of the
state House of Assembly, Otelemaba Amachree, as the plan was
technically and legally foiled. What they achieved at the end were,
leaving some members with broken heads, jaws, legs, hands. At least,
anti-Amaechi group now knows better, that the fight to overrun the
Government House is not as easy as they earlier thought.Bloody but foiled impeachment of the Speaker:
Another incident which jolted Amaechi’s opponent was the incident of Tuesday, July 9, 2013. That was the day the five anti-Amaechi lawmakers tried to impeach the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba D. Amachree. The attempt, which was resisted by the 27 pro-Amaechi lawmakers, resulted in a fracas, which left Hon. Michael Chinda, representing Obio/Akpor II, with broken head and jaw. Other lawmakers also sustained injuries in the free-for-all. It was clear that the plan was to first impeach the Speaker and then go for the governor’s head. According to information, the plot was to impeach Governor Amaechi the same week Amachree was ‘impeached.’
How National Assembly doused the tension:
The intervention of the National Assembly, especially the House of Representatives, which quickly moved in and indicated its interest to take over the proceedings of the Rivers State House of Assembly, further destabilised the Wike group. The intervention was in accordance with Section 11(4) of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria. The timely intervention helped to put a stop to the plot, to impeach the governor.
The backing given to the House of Representatives by the Senate finally nailed the coffins of initial plot to impeach Governor Amaechi in the nearest possible time. The battle for the soul of Rivers State is still on. Wike group is still mobilizing, to make the governor politically irrelevant before the end of 2013, and the governor seems unshaken. The Minister seems to be doing the talking while the governor seems to have applied ‘action speaks louder than words’ approach. To him, no retreat, no surrender. But only 2015 will tell.
Rivers’ political crisis in retrospect:
Some people believe that the recent, lingering political crisis in Rivers State was ignited by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007. That year, the People Democratic Party(PDP), Rivers State chapter, had nominated Dr. Peter Odili’s Special Assistant and former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, to contest the governorship seat. But Chief Olusegun Obasnajo, the then president, unilaterally disqualified Amaechi at the last minute, citing his (Amaechi’s) ‘K-leg’ as the reason for his action. He replaced Amaechi with his cousin, Celestine Omehia, who was, however, sacked by the Supreme Court on October 25, 2007, paving way for Amaechi’s emergence as governor of the state. Six years after, the battle between Omehia and Amaechi has not ended. Not even efforts by some notable clergy, politicians and kinsmen, to reconcile the two brothers had yielded positives results. That is why till date, one usually finds Omehia in the company of those, who are opposed to Amaechi’s government.
Dame Patience Jonathan factor:
Dame Patience Jonathan officially joined in the battle against Amaechi in August, 2010, after the Governor threatened to demolish over forty waterfront settlements, occupied mainly by her Okrika people. Her anger against the Rivers governor was rekindled when stories started making the rounds that Amaechi was nursing the ambition of running with the governor of Kano state governor, as Vice President. To the First Lady, who also has interest in who succeeds Amaechi , the governor’s battle against her husband is also war against her.
President Jonathan’s role:
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was getting on well with Amaechi until the health of the late president Umaru Yar’dua degenerated to the point of the debate on whether or not to make him (Jonathan) acting president. It was said that some governors, including some South-south governors, were opposed to his taking over from Yar’Adua.
In spite of that, the president was said to have supported Governor Amaechi to emerge as Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman after Olusola Saraki’s tenure expired. Jonathan’s intention, it was learnt, was to have a South-south governor, as chairman of NGF, for him actualise his 2015 political ambition. But when Amaechi ascended the throne, the brotherly support was allegedly lacking. And instead, his position posed a threat to the realisation of Jonathan’s 2015 political ambition.
To pay him back in his own coin, the president started looking a South-south politician, a Rivers man, he could use to cut the governor to size. He found this in the person of the Minster of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike. Till date, Governor Amaechi has continued to deny that he has plans to contest as vice president under APC or any other party at that.
Governor Amaechi once confirmed President’s antagonism against him this way: “When the Federal Government suspects that you have an ambition, they do everything to bring you down. For instance, we have two helicopters to monitor security, that they refused permission to be brought into the country and they have frustrated plans we have to open a syringe manufacturing factory in Rivers State.”
“Even if they have an issue with me, why should the whole Rivers State suffer? We have numerous projects, which we have signed agreements with the Federal Government to introduce and implement but since this crisis began, they have suspended all of them and the people feeling it are the ordinary people of Rivers State.” Many people believe, rightly or wrongly, that the President is fueling the unending political crisis in Rivers State.
Chief Nyesom Wike factor:
Chief Nyesom wike, an Ikwerre man as the governor, from Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, was the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt. He was also the Director-General of Amaechi Campaign Organisation in 2011. The former two-time Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and current Minister of State for Education, started having problems with Amaechi, when he was alleged to be eyeing the Senatorial seat, Governor Amaechi was initially planning to contest in 2015. Two of them are from the same Senatorial zone. When the face-off between Amaechi and Dame Patience Jonathan, and later, the President began, Wike made himself available to be used for the fight against his brother. Without doubt, the fight between Amaechi and Wike started initially, as a result of who becomes a Senator in their zone in 2015.
Chief Felix Obuah:
He was the former chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. He was said to have contested for the Chairmanship of the Rivers State PDP, with Chief Godspower Ake and lost to Ake. But some people claimed that Obuah, popularly known in the state as ‘Go round’, neither picked the chairmanship form, nor showed up at the venue, the day the election was conducted. But an Abuja High Court, presided over by Justice Ishaq Bello, sacked Ake and his executive on April 15, 2013. Consequently, Obuah –led executive was inaugurated in Abuja on April 16. Since he took over, as the State Chairman of Rivers PDP, a lot has happened in the Rivers political space. The crisis has continued to deepen and is still deepening.
Prince Timothy Nsirim:
He is the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, suspended alongside 17 Councilors, by the Rivers House of Assembly. Some people described him as Chief Nyesom Wike ‘boy’. His loyalty to the Minister of State for Education, is not in doubt. This , many believe, had also made him incur the wrath of the governor. For instance, his Council’s monthly allocation was once withheld, because of poor sanitation of the area, especially, for allowing the springing up of illegal structures along the airport Road. Sometime in 2012, Nsirim was commissioning the Obio/Akpor International Market, constructed by his administration, and the absence of Governor Amaechi almost marred the ceremony. The governor was said to have shunned the event because of Nsirim’s loyalty to Wike.
Though, the wife of the governor, Dame Judith Amaechi, later attended the occasion, but that did not take away the political undertone his husband’s absence created. That day, the disappointed and furious Nsirim was seen, fuming with rage, as he apologized to crowd for the late start of the ceremony(The crowd had waited endlessly and in vain, for the arrival of the Governor). “Please, be patient, you all know what is happening, it is political”, Nsirim was quoted as saying . It was the same no love lost, between Amaechi and Wike, not a few people believe this, that saw his suspension by the state Assembly, alongside his Vice and seventeen(17) Councilors, over allegation of misappropriation of funds.
GDI as an attack dog of Wike group:
Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI)is a social-political group and a political structure, being used by the Wike/Obuah faction of PDP, to fight Governor Amaechi. Led by Bright Amaewhule, also Ikwerre man , GDI has been responsible for organizing most of the anti-Amaechi protests in the state, including the one, where some governor from the north were stoned at the Port Harcourt International Airport. GDI is the platform being used by Wike to lunch verbal missile against the governor. To be able achieve this, GDI started what it called, inauguration of its executives in all the 23 Local Government Areas of the state. During such inaugurations, which looked more like political campaign, speakers used the opportunity to attack Amaechi and canvass support for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Wike and Obuah-led PDP executive.
Factionalized national PDP as a setback for Amaechi’s opponents:
Just as the taking over of the State Assembly by the National Assembly, the recent break-up of PDP was a great setback to anti-Amaechi group.
Before the mini convention in Abuja, on Saturday August 31, 2013, where some governors and others, including the former Vice President, Atiku Abubarkar, staged a walk-out, to form a parallel PDP, with Alhaji Kawu Baraje as the chairman, anti-Amaechi group in Rivers never wanted to hear anyone refer to them as, a ‘factional group’ or ‘factional PDP’.
As far as the Obuah-led group was concerned, there was no faction in Rivers PDP or PDP in general. To the group also, it was in control of the political structure in the state once controlled by Amaechi. At one of the inauguration of GDI executives in one of the local governments, Chief Wike had boasted how he would not handover the political structure the group had captured, to Governor Amaechi. But it dawned on the group on Saturday, August 31, 2013 that there could be faction, and that Amaechi has not lost grip after all. The break-up was indeed, a sad moment and setback for anti-Amaechi group.
Amaechi’s ADC declared deserter by police:
The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the Rivers State police Commissioner, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, appear not ready to the allow voice of reason to prevail in Rivers State. In the heat of the crisis, Mbu issued a press statement, banning all protests in the state. In the statement, dated July 10, 2013, and signed by the Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), Mrs. Angela Agabe, a Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP) warned that police would use minimum force to disperse anybody or group of persons, no matter how highly placed. But from all indications, the ban was for pro-Amaechi group. Even when the police perceived that some human rights groups were staging a protest which was against their role in Rivers crisis, and some persons fighting Amaechi, they tried to scuttle it. But the Nigeria police looked the other way, each time anti- Amaechi group staged protest in the state. For instance, the police were aware of the protests by GDI, at the Port International airport, against the northern governors and no one was arrested.
The national Assembly had recommend that Mbu be redeployed, yet Nigeria police have turned deaf ears to this. Only recently, the police declared Amaechi’s Aide-de-Camp(ADC), Debeware Semeikumo, an Assistant Superintendent of Police(ASP) a deserter. Semeikumo, who also sustained injuries during the July 9, 2013, Assembly fracas and receiving treatment abroad, was also removed as Amaechi’s ADC.
According to Augustine Sanomi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police(ACP), who issued a statement on the matter, on behalf of the CP, the decision to declare Semeikumo deserter was based on Section 398(1) of the Police Act and Regulation Cap 359 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990. The IGP had invited the ADC to Amaechi and Chief Security Officer, Tony Iwelu, but the duo have not honoured the invitation.
Reacting to the development, the Rivers State government, through the Commissioner for information and Communication, Mrs. Ibim Sementari, described police action as another mischief. She said the police Command was already aware that Amaechi’s ADC sustained injuries and was out of the country for further treatment.
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