Embattled Governor of Rivers state, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has said his suspension from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, was done in haste and outside the confines of the law.
Amaechi who spoke Monday at an Interactive Session in Port-Harcourt said, hence the allegations cited were already in the law court it was illogical for the National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP to sanction him to that extent.
Reacting through the state Commissioner for Information, Mrs Ibim Semenitari in Port Harcourt on Monday, Amaechi said “We are concerned, as we believe this is political witch hunt. It is worrisome”.
“The reason given is the suspension of the Obio/Akpor council. This is purely a legislative matter and done in accordance to the laws of local government councils in Rivers State,”Amaechi stated.
He described the action of the NWC as laughable.
The Governor who said his problem with the party executives at the national level started when he dissolved the local councils in the state said, efforts were underway to re-consider the decision when an order came from Abuja to re-instate the chairmen.
“Today, they called an emergency NWC meeting of the party by 7am when people are trying to bath and go out. Now if our party obeys rules. Law and order, (right?) the matter is in court. Can the house do anything? When the matter is in the court, can anybody do anything? The problem is, after we have a problem, do we want to obey the law?”
“Whether we are going to do that is in the powers of the state assembly. I know the powers of the assembly. I was a Speaker and I used it. If the House of assembly therefore decides to suspend the council chairmen, that is not governor Amaechi”.
On the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, elections which took place over the weekend, he said, he contested and won just as he advised the parallel Chairman of the NGF, Jonah Jang to concerntrate his energies on other things.
“If they all join hands to fight me and I still won, they should do what? Join me to thank God. Because what it means is that god has spoken and don’t go against God’s will. If you go against God’s will, it will not go well. You it happened when I was in Ghana. For ten months, I fasted and I prayed…..They should allow democracy to reign”.
“I had an engagement with the Inspector-General of Police on the state police issue and he said Governors will abuse the powers of the state police. Who is abusing police powers now? If you said you don’t want to privatize the police, (because the police has been privatized) and allow the police to be for the benefit of the public. And imagine if you and I cannot go to court to seek protection, where else can we go to? If you go to court and they said they give you protection and someone said, ‘to hell with the Court’ where will you go to? Are we under military regime?”, he stressed
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