Don’t Push Me To The Wall, Amaechi Warns PDP

Embattled Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi,
onSaturday threatened to quit the ruling People's Democratic Party
(PDP) if the PDP makes the reversal of the suspension of Obio/Akpor
local council executives a condition for his readmission into the
party.
He also warned that if the party pushed him to a corner where he would
be left with no option, he would outrightly dissolve the entire
executive of the council as he is constitutionally empoweredto do so.
Amaechi made all these known and more while responding to inquiries by
the Bishop of the Anglican Communion, Niger Delta Diocese, Rev.
Ignatius C. Kattey, at the 60th birthday thanksgiving service in
honour of the former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA),
O.C.J. Okocha (SAN) in Port Harcourt.
Amaechi, who maintained that he was not the one whoordered the
suspension of the council officials, but the state House of Assembly,
told the gathering, "If they suffocate us in PDP and we need to move,
we move."
He continued, "If they (PDP) reverse it tomorrow, there is one more
option left to me, I can dissolve the entire executive. The police can
remain there as much as they want, it is Obio/Akpor people's problem;
the money is going nowhere. We have saved you too, because the reason
they suspended the executives isbecause they said, 'let us investigate
the place because there was corruption.'"If they investigate and the
chairman and the councillors are not corrupt, they will call them
back. But if they go to court to try to stop them, they will do
theirfunction. I want to hear the court say they have no right to do
their function. Whatever the court says is what the Rivers State
Government will do. We willobey the court, but outside that, nobody,
not even PDP, can give me condition. Is there only one party in
Nigeria? Why would they give me condition? They will not give me
condition.
"I lead the people of Rivers State and I will lead you. If they
suffocate us in PDP and we need to move, we move!We will continue to
strugglefor our rights, and that includes our oil wells. You will hear
the truth of this fight in December, January. I will address the state
and I will tell you the truth of the fight.
"The fight is not between me and these people here, they are not a
problem to me. But when election comes, the Rivers people will be
given the chance to choose who they want," he said.
The Bishop also sought to know if indeed there was anelection that
returned Amaechi as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF).
Responding, the governor said: "I don't lie. If I will go to hell, lie
wouldn't be one of the reasons for my going to hell. Take it from me,
those who lie don't have courage, I have them in quantum; my children
have excess of courage.
"Your Grace, there was an election. Your Grace, they are not denying
that there was an election. They said before the election some people
have signed documents for them, and they were 19, but in contesting
the election, those 19 changed their minds and voted for me, andwhen
the battle was on, it was clear that it was between the 'Villa' and
me, and I won.
"There was an election and they were properly defeated and they saw
the consequences of defeat. It isa Governors' Forum I have led for two
years. Even the 16 that voted for my opponent told me 'you were
wonderful as the chairman, but you know where the pressure is coming
from and we can't avoid the pressure. I won and won well, tomorrow
morning, I will win again."