The Presidency has said that Governor Rotimi Amaechi should be held responsible for the crisis in Rivers state that has degenerated to a bloodbath.
Fielding questions from State House correspondents on Friday, Political Adviser to the President, Ahmed Gulak, insisted it was wrong for anybody to link President Goodluck Jonathan with the crisis.
He also argued that it was wrong for the Governor to have gone into the House of Assembly Chamber even against the advice of the state Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu.
According to Gulak, the video clip of the assembly fracas was very clear as it shows the Chief Security Officer (CSO) and ADC to Governor Amaechi beating some of the lawmakers with the mace.
?The problem in Rivers State is the internal wrangling of the administration of the governor. It is sad that when there are crises in the assembly, the governor will physically drive to the House of Assembly to partake in the crises.
?We have seen the video clips, the CSO to the governor; the ADC and the Orderly were right inside the chambers, partaking in the bout. We saw the Majority Leader of the Amaechi group who was wearing a white dress and was using the mace to beat people. The video is clear.
?Immediately after, he left the House of Assembly and went to the Government House and laid down on a bed in the Government House Clinic pretending.
?The fact is in this crisis of Rivers State, the governor should be held responsible because if he did not go physically to the House of Assembly, those guys won’t have been emboldened to be beating people there.
?More so, that his security aides were right inside the chambers, the sacred chambers, which ordinarily nobody is allowed to enter apart from the members. So I repeat that Amaechi should be held responsible for what happened.
?He should not drag Jonathan’s name into this matter. Rather, it is the President that is the victim of Amaechi’s mischief plan. He is claiming the state is under siege and that the commissioner of police is against him whereas the CP warned him not to go physically into the House of Assembly,? Gulak said.
He recalled that when there was crisis in the Adamawa state House of Assembly, the state governor did not drive down to intervene. He spoke further, ?In Nigeria, we have seen crisis in Houses of Assembly before.
?There was a time Adamawa State House of Assembly was closed for three months because of crisis; we did not see the governor drive physically into the assembly. Thereafter, the issue was resolved.
?I am not aware of any plan to impeach the governor and the President is not aware even if there are such plans. But what I know is that the House of Assembly intended to change their leadership, rightly or wrongly, they have a constitution right to do it if they have the majority. But that will not warranty a governor to physically come to the assembly and physically partake in the fight?.
On the statement credited to Prof Wole Soyinka that President Jonathan and wife, Patience should be held responsible for the crisis, Gulak said it was wrong accusation, but declined to join issues with him.
?Soyinka, without knowing the fact just went public to blame the President and his wife for what is happening in the state. He is an elder statesman, I don’t want to join issues with him but I will say that he should be responsible,? he said.
The Political Adviser therefore, enjoined political office holders to respect the nation’s constitution which stipulates separation of power. He said the PDP national leadership is looking into the crisis, expressing optimism that it will be resolved soon.
?The way out is for all parties to abide by the constitution. There is separation of power in the constitution. We have the judiciary, legislature and executive. When there are crises in the House of Assembly like this, the governor is not supposed to physically partake in the crises, driving down and using his security aides to physically partake is wrong.
?We in the PDP have put machinery in place to see that this crisis is resolved once and for all if the governor is still in the PDP because what we have seen is opposition members talking.
Asked what was being done by the party leadership to reconcile the factions in Rivers state, the political aide retorted, ?There is no PDP faction, there is only one PDP in Rivers State Executive. Party issues are left for the party leadership to handle and the NWC has briefed us properly and they have state executive and that was by the court judgment.
?The President is not the judge, neither is he in the NWC. Every citizen has the right to go to court if aggrieved. Until it is upturned on appeal, the judgment is still valid. There are no factions?.
