Rivers crisis: Perspectives beyond warring faction

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI
Penultimate Tuesday's life threatening mace attack on Michael Chinda
by a colleague at the Rivers State House of Assembly (RVHA) which
heralded the current crisis in Rivers State is still on the front
burner of public debate.
While that violent episode of the fractured Rivers Peoples' Democratic
Party (PDP) saga is still simmering, thisweek recorded fresh episodes
in the diary of the crisis, coincidentally on another Tuesday.
Four Northern governors on a solidarity visit to Governor Rotimi
Amaechi in Port Harcourt were allegedly waylaid and stoned by
placard-carrying youths, and their welcome party was not left out of
the melee which occurred at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
As with penultimate Tuesday's chaos, the reported stoning of the
governors fuelled another round of accusations and counter-accusations
by both warring factions and their supporters. The visiting Northern
governors, including Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano, Sule Lamido of Jigawa,
Babangida Aliyuof Niger and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, after a
closed-door meeting with Amaechi, issued a statement accusing the
police of "partisanship in the show of shame at the RVHA."
The governors, who did not make much noise over the alleged stoning at
the airport, however, joined calls forthe redeployment of Police
Commissioner Joseph Mbu from Rivers State to the extent of threatening
to "reconsider our position on financial contribution by states
towards fundingof the Nigeria Police."
Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Ibim
Semenitari who witnessed all the fuss at the airport, said "what
happened was worrisome. Amaechi waited for all his colleagues. They
were not held hostage. The bus carrying the commissioners was damaged
and some other vehicles smashed by the protesters."
Expectedly,Nyesom Wike's faction in the crisis, reacting through Felix
Obuah, the state PDP Chairman, deniedthat the protesters were
mobilised on the platform of Wike's political interest group,
Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI). Obuah concluded that the
protesters were Rivers people, expressing disappointment at the
Amaechi government."You should understand that the visitors who have
failed to deal with the menace of Boko Haram up North have no
substance to add to resolving the Rivers crisis and could only have
come to heat up the polity."
Layman's perspective
Beyond the hard lines by both warring factions, the Rivers populace
hardly classified the raging saga as right or wrong when Saturday
Vanguard measured the street conscience on thecrisis in the State
Capital.
Celestine Akpobari of Social Action believes "the PDP is confused. It
is no question of one party being a saint andthe other a villain.
Nyesom Wike is partof Amaechi and both of them are products of Odili.
Wike professed he was the Commander-in-Chief and took responsibility
for the good, the bad and ugly that trailed the Amaechi struggle while
he muscled himself into power. It does not benefit the ordinary man on
the street if the relationship has suddenly gone awry between the two.
"The other way to look at it is that the wife of the President,
Patience Jonathan who is from Okrika, wants to produce the next
governor of the stateand no governor, particularly Amaechi, would
allow that in the way we do politics in Nigeria.
And the President thinks Amaechi's 2015 ambition stands in the way of
his own 2015 interests. The worry for Rivers indigenes is that if PDP
members want to kill one another, they are very free to do so. But
they should not allow it swallow the businesses and social lives of
the people. Already, people are worried."
Like Akpobari, Frank Anwusonye of the Nigerian Democratic Awareness
Forum said "I don't side anybody. What is happening is a welcome
development to the extent that it exposes the slavery Rivers people
have been under, given the lawless and imperious posturing of its
leaders.
The PDP has a culture of vindictivenessand lawlessness. While they
were united, the warring factions had enjoyed taming the institutions
and resources of government to repress the opposition and critical
populace. Pitted against themselves, they are finding it difficult
having business as usual.
"I give you a glaring instance of the slavery we have been through.
The ruling PDP in Rivers is so zealous in sustaining a 100% PDP state
from the local government to state level to the extent that in Oyigbo,
an All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) councillor-elect has been
subdued from occupying the office after winning the council election
in 2011, including two emanating re-runs against the PDP opponent in
the first quarter of this year.
"In the last re-run, the state Independent Electoral Commission
(RSIEC) issued Sunny Williams, the APGA candidate, a return
certificate. No electoral law denies the councillor-elect the
occupation of the office – even in the face of repeated litigationsby
the PDP opponent. He must exercise his mandate until a court proves
him unfit."So the stage was set recently in May for him to be sworn
in. With impunity, the Oyigbo Council boss, Felic Uche Uwaeke, invited
expectant Sunny Williams with his supporters to the council hall, only
to tell them he could not swear the councillor-elect in because PDP
stakeholders were contesting his third successive election victory in
court.
Like the Amaechi faction is pointing fingers at President Jonathan for
instigating the crisis in Rivers, Sunny Williams is convinced the
governor hasa hand in his denied mandate which may well elapse without
anyone occupying the office. This is what we have been faced with in
the PDP-controlled Rivers State."
Ifeke Imoh, an engineer said, "Much has been said about government
institutions, particularly the police compromising their role in the
matter. This is a political crisis. Who isn't compromising on the
issue really? Who is not partisan?
The National Assembly is partisan.Tambuwal is an ally of Amaechi, so
Reps spontaneously took over the Rivers Assembly. I read about a
Rivers Senator cheering the Lower House on its position. But Mark is
the President's confidant so the Senate preferred restraint. I wonder
why the cheering Senator didn't see any oddityin his Senate's
restraint.
"Politicians think they reserve the liberty to be partisan. Granted,
they are fighting a self-serving political war,but they are fighting
as government, as political office-holders using government resources.
As government, they are not supposed to do so. Government is for the
Rivers people and not for PDP politicians.
"Last time I checked, the police remains a federal organ. In Nigeria,
thepolice don't settle political quarrels. Politicians just fight and
resolve on self-determined political solutions. Joseph Mbu didn't
bring himself here. He reports to authority.
So, he is just playing along. There is nothing to suggest a new Police
Commissioner will not be partisan if Mbu is removed. Mbu is just a
symptomof the ailment. Removing him does notcure the disease when the
President isan interested party."
Measuring consequences
The Rivers people are not divided as towhether the raging crisis is
unsettling the state socially and economically. All who spoke noted
apprehension is already high enough to depress commerce and
investments in the state.
Akpobari, for one, projected that "with the involvement of thugs and
cults gradually gaining momentum, the situation stands to degenerate.
The minute the politicians mobilise the cults to fight for their
interests in the crisis, we are back to the dark days in Rivers."
Beyond what the common man fears for Rivers over the crisis, even
Governor Amaechi has admitted the situation is distracting him from
running the wheel of government properly.
"Look at what we want to do in the Rivers State University of Science
and Technology. We have plans for phase IIof the school. I met them
(those in charge of driving it), and they say they are still working
on the modalities.
But you know me, I would have since pushed them and the contract would
have been on. I am not able to do that now because of the crisis in
the state," a disenchanted Amaechi told a forum of development
stakeholders in Port Harcourt.
The way out
Akpobari proffered: "The PDP should begin to think about development
andthe people and leave 2015 to decide for itself. They should take
advantage of the prime offices they have rigged themselves into and
show responsibility.
"They are all opportunists. Jonathan was in Abuja for the PDP
Convention towards 2007 to vote for Odili over whoever wanted to be
President. He was not in contention, but he became Vice President and
now President.
"Amaechi did not contest for election. He ran to Ghana, leaving Wike
to do all the dirty jobs. He returned to be Governor. Each one of them
should leave 2015 for now and deliver genuine governance to the
people."
Forty hours after four governors visitedAmaechi in Port Harcourt to
affirm theirsupport and call for Mbu's removal, fivemore governors and
three deputy governors from eight states paid a similar visit to the
embattled Rivers helmsman on Thursday.
The Governors include: Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, Rauf Aregbesola of
Osun, Abiola Ajumobi (Oyo), Ibinkunle Amosun (Ogun) and Kayode Fayemi
of Ekiti; while the governors of Taraba, Zamfara and Imo States were
represented by their deputies.
On their departure, Thursday's visiting governors appealed to their
host to find the courage to approach PresidentJonathan and present his
case towards resolving the crisis.
Governor Fayemi who led remarks for the visitors at about 1.35pm at
the Government House, Port Harcourt, noted that "we have come to see
our colleague, the Chairman of the Governors'Forum, in solidarity over
thesituation in the state.We are supposed to be in Abuja for a
National Executive Council meeting, but we have come not because we
consider our responsibilities in Abuja less important, but because we
owe it a duty to be involved in seeing that a critical issue at hand
in one of the states needs to be resolved in the interest of our
country.
"What is happening here is not just about Rivers state. It is
something that has implications for all of us, for our entire country.
We have met and spoken with the governor and collectively advised him
to see that he goes to Abuja to brief the President on what is
happening here.
"We believe in him. We hope he wouldtake our advice and that it is
expedienthe meets the President to present his case.
" We also know the President is well meaning. He is our President. We
are all the President's men; we are all the President's governors. We
are also saying that he ensures nobody uses him as subterfuge to
create chaos or destabilise the state.
"We are very sure the problem we have here is avoidable. We trust he
canbe on top of the situation. And we know the governor here is in
touch with the people, and by meeting with the President, he can
resolve the issue."
On the role of the police, Governor Fayemi said, "We equally believe
the Inspector General of Police should help in restoring the image and
confidence of the police in the governor and the Rivers people,
takingall the necessary steps it would take todo so."
Meanwhile, a Port Harcourt-based media consultant, Chukwuemeka Eze,
believes much progress could be made if leading Christian leaders
intervene.
Eze said: "Even as I congratulate Pastor Ayodele Oritsejafor on his
well deserved re-election as CAN President,let me appeal to him to
intervene and find a way out of this madness in Rivers State, seeing
that the two political leaders (Jonathan and Amaechi) have much
respect for him and may listen to him as other pleas in this regard
seem to have fallen on deafears.
"Also, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God,
Pastor Enoch Adeboye, needs to intervene in this matter as the
present face-off between the two is already threatening Nigeria' s
democracy. Hence, these respected men of God should not watch from the
sidelines."
Anwusonye said, "The ball is still in thegovernor's court. The
President's handmay be in the crisis, but the governor remains the
commander of the once united house now crumbling. The President will
not come to Rivers to throw stones and break a lawmaker's head with a
mace. If the Rivers people say "no" in one voice to the President and
his wife, there won't be any crisis.
"The governor should be less vindictive against those who helped him
to the height he is currently enjoying. Most of the people around him
enjoying the political offices todayweren't in the picture fighting to
enthrone him. When he cowed the State Assembly to sack the entire
elected cabinet of Obia/Akpor Council including all 17 councillors
over Wike'sdethronement of his state party Exco, he didn't appeal to
the sensibility of the ordinary man."
Ogoni advances ethnic tone to crisis
Advancing an ethnic tone to the crisis, Akpobari, who doubles as
Coordinator of the Ogoni Solidarity Forum, contended that the entire
situation is being orchestrated to deny Ogoniland the governorship in
2015.
"Check the history of the state since the creation of Rivers. An Ogoni
has never been governor, never been deputy. We have not been Speaker
of the Rivers State Assembly, ever. But we have sacrificed so much,
losing lives and natural resources while contributing so much and
gaining so little in the bargain.
"2015 is the set time we have resolved,and other zones must appreciate
it, to take the reins of power in Rivers. Now, we have Amaechi and the
ruling PDP trying to throw spanners in the works. And Wike is saying
there is no more zoning. Ogonis think this crisis is a conspiracy to
deny us the governorship. We are monitoring the situation. MOSOP is on
top of it and nothing shall by any means stop us from producing the
governor.
Chinda's attack sways police, public impression of chaos in Assembly
When news of five lawmakers allegedly mobilising thugs to the Assembly
chambers to fight 27 pro-Amaechi lawmakers and impeach Speaker
Otelemaba Amachree first broke, much of the public sympathy fell for
the majority lawmakers. This position was further boosted by early
video footage of the fracas which zeroed in on the initial aggression
put up by acclaimed new Speaker, Evans Bipi, who was said to have
started the brawl with a fisticuff against the House Leader, Chidi
Lloyd.But that position changed spontaneously for most residents and
watchers when more videos of the crisis, particularly that of Lloyd's
vicious mace attack on Chinda Michael of Obia Akpor II, also went
viral. At present, the unlucky lawmaker is having critical health
problems and has been allegedly flown abroad for medical attention.
Appraising the dreadful scene, Akpobari said Chinda should be
prosecuted because "what he did was animalistic. No human being should
exhibit such cruelty towards a fellow human, no matter the level of
provocation. If the victim dies, the story will turn more tragic. "
Akpobari spoke hours before the Police, through the state Police
Public Relations Officer, Angela Agaba, declared the suspected
attacker wanted for "a case of conspiracy, attempted murder, wounding
and wilful damage."
Expressing his disgust at the conduct of the lawmaker who is still at
large, Engr. Imoh queried: "Is this the manner of evil the government
is accusing Mbu of not aiding and abetting? The media has been awash
with claims that the anti-Amaechi Five brought thugs to fight
lawmakers at the chambers.
"I don't support five aiming to impeach a Speaker, but there has not
been any report of any of the thugs laying a finger on a lawmaker, let
alone shooting the governor. It was shocking for a leader of the
Hallowed Chamber to club a fellow lawmaker with a mace. Mbu might have
compromised, but the warring factionsare the ones in the habit of
playing into his hands. Rivers thugs are thus farmore decent and law
abiding than some honourable members."