Rivers crisis, threat to democracy – Abdulsalami

Former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar yesterday appealed to political leaders in Rivers State to put their house in order so as to avoid overheating the polity and truncating the nation’s democracy.Abubakar made the remark in Minna when members of the Niger correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) visited him.“I hope […]

Former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar yesterday appealed to political leaders in Rivers State to put their house in order so as to avoid overheating the polity and truncating the nation’s democracy.
Abubakar made the remark in Minna when members of the Niger correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) visited him.
“I hope that the politicians will try to put a break and reflect on what they are doing in order not to truncate democracy,” he said.
“In democracy there is limit to what freedom is all about. Your freedom stops when you start to infringe on others freedom.”
Abdulsalami said stressed the need for politicians to take note of this and check themselves, and pointed out that “certainly, what is happening in Rivers is sad.”
While praying for the peace of the country, he explained that without peace, “there will be no nation and people will not have the where withal to make a living.”
Meanwhile, eight opposition party governors have advised Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to brief President Jonathan on the security challenges in the state.
Governors   Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) as well as deputy governors of Nasarawa, Imo and  Zamfara states were at the Government House in Port Harcourt yesterday to pay a solidarity visit to Amaechi..
Fayemi, who spoke on behalf of the visiting governors shortly after a closed door meeting with Amaechi, said: “We are here because security is for more of a major concern to us and the people of Nigeria. You know our brothers are in the economic council meeting. Our being here is not a denigration of their meeting in any way but just to stress the importance of our concern for the security of the citizens of Rivers State.
“We have met with our brother and chairman of Nigeria Governors forum and we had extensive discussion with him and that it will be quite important for him to actually go and brief Mr. President who is our leader and the chief security officer of the country on the security challenges here in Rivers State.
“In our deliberation with our brother we also stressed the importance of the hierarchy of our Police authority and the Inspector General of Police to help in restoring the confidence of the people of Rivers State that has really been greatly diminished in the Police Command here in Rivers State.”