Some Northern Governors on Tuesday paid a solidarity visit to Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi in Port Harcourt. The Governor has been battling with one form of crisis and another recently, the latest being the fracas that broke out in the Hallowed Chamber of the State House of Assembly last Tuesday, which left some lawmakers seriously injured.
On the visit were Governors Babangida Aliyu of Niger, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa and Sule Lamido of Jigawa, all Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Rivers Commissioner for Information, Ibim Semenitari, jibed on twitter that the Presidency is jittery over the visit, noting that the hoodlums allegedly mobilized by the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike had failed to disrupt the visit.
“There were jitters in the presidency over the visit of governors of Adamawa, Jigawa, Kano and Niger to Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi in Port Harcourt, today Tuesday 16, 2013.
“Members of the Nyesom Wike’s campaign organization Grassroots Democratic Initiative GDI, had mobilized hoodlums to disrupt the visit. Chanting solidarity songs in favour of the presidency, the group attempted to attack Governor Amaechi and his team.
“Wike had boasted after the failed impeachment attempt at the Rivers State House of Assembly that he would set Rivers State ablaze and render it ungovernable. A four litre keg suspected to contain some acid was found beside the mob.
“Rivers State Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu denied knowledge of the mob’s presence although the police stated that the airport is a public place and everyone has a right to visit freely and unhindered.
“This portends grave danger and has far reaching implications for our fledgling democracy”, Commissioner of Information and Communications, Ibim Semenitari said on Rivers State Official Twitter Handle.
Meanwhile, before leaving Port Harcourt, the northern governors called for redeployment of the state Commissioner of police, Joseph Mbu.
The statement made available to newsmen reads, “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.
“With the way the police is being used and abused, and with officers like Mbu in the bus, 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 states towards the funding of the Nigerian police,” the governors said.
“Arising from the action of the police, and Joseph Mbu in Rivers State, the call for state police as a constitutional provision has become a necessity.
“We note that the events in Rivers state have again brought to the fore the issue of true federalism and the need for institutions derived from the Constitutions to be allowed to function without undue interference.
“As federating units, we must be allowed the space to guarantee our people’s sustainable development as provided by the Constitution. We must all work together to build one united and indivisible nation and strengthen our democracy,” the governors preached.
