Amaechi, 4 govs’ convoy pelted – Governors threaten to stop police funding

The placard-carrying protesters had earlier besieged the airport in Port Harcourt, ahead of the arrival of Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), who is also chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum.Witnesses said the youths were brought to the airport in about 20 buses as early […]

The placard-carrying protesters had earlier besieged the airport in Port Harcourt, ahead of the arrival of Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), who is also chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum.
Witnesses said the youths were brought to the airport in about 20 buses as early as 7am apparently after getting wind of the plannedvisit by the governors.
Under the aegis of Grassroots Development Initiative, they barricaded the arrival lounge and chanted slogans targeted at Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the visiting governors.
Some of the placards said “Amaechi we regret that you are our son,” “You have brought shame to Rivers State,” and “2015…Rivers State and Niger Delta is for Jonathan.”
Amaechi arrived at the airport from Abuja ahead of his visiting colleagues and he waited for them at the VIP lounge. Soon after, the four governors arrived, and they all boarded vehicles and headed to the Government House.
As the convoy began to move, the protesters began pelting the cars with water sachets, stones, sticks and water bottles. But the governors reached the Government House without any major confrontation, and went into a meeting behind closed doors with Amaechi.
Rivers State Information Commissioner Mrs Ibim Seminitari condemned the incident at the airport saying the protesters were sponsored by Amaechi’s opponents.
She said when she arrived at the Port Harcourt airport in the morning with the governor, she noticed that the place had been over taken by youths numbering more than 300. She said the youths were deceived by their leaders that they should converge at the airport to receive an important dignitary only to be handed over anti-Amaechi placards.
Seminitari said they smashed a bus that conveyed commissioners to the airport, adding that the maturity of the state governor averted what would have been a bloody clash between the protesters and Amaechi supporters.
She said it was obvious that some people are bent on causing crisis in the state to water the ground for the declaration of a state of emergency.
Rivers State Police spokeswoman Angela Agabe did not answer calls when our reporter phoned her to get comments on the incident at the airport.
Soon after their meeting with Amaechi, the visiting governors issued a press statement they jointly signed, urging for the redeployment of the state police commissioner Joseph Mbu who they said had been partisan in the Rivers crisis.
“We wish to call on the Inspector General of Police to hearken to the voices of reason and immediately redeploy and discipline Commissioner Joseph Mbu. His action smacks of unprofessionalism and political partisanship which is unbecoming of his office,” the statement said.
“Having interacted with our colleague and other persons, we are shocked at the role of the Police in Rivers State and condemned its clear partisanship in the show of shame that took place at the Rivers State House of Assembly,” it added, referring to the violence at the assembly premises last week. The four governors threatened to withdraw funding for the police force unless Mbu was removed.
“With the way the Police is being used and abused and with officers like Mbu in the force, we do not see the need for state governments to fund an antagonistic Police and may be forced to reconsider our position on the financial contribution of the states towards the funding of the Nigeria Police. Arising from the actions of the Police and Mr. Joseph Mbu in Rivers State, the call for State Police as a constitutional provision has become a necessity,” the statement said.
“We note that events in Rivers State have again brought to the fore the question of true federalism and the need for institutions derived from constitutions be allowed to function without undue interference. As federating units we must be allowed the space to guarantee our people sustainable development as provided by the constitution.” The governors said the state was peaceful and “the governor and government are in charge. This is especially reassuring as opposed to the organised protest by a handful of persons at the Port Harcourt Airport when we arrived.”
The political crisis in Rivers blew open last week when five lawmakers believed to be Presidency’s foot soldiers attempted to remove the speaker, who is a supporter of Amaechi. This resulted in a violent confrontation during which some lawmakers were injured.
The next day, the House of Representatives passed a resolution mandating the National Assembly to take over the duties of the state assembly, while the Senate decided to send a probe team. The four visiting governors yesterday urged all political actors in Rivers to “defuse tension and stop all actions capable of overheating the polity and derailing our nascent democracy.”