The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that the six “rebel” members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, acting at the behest of Education Minister, Nyesom Wike, want to illegally and unconstitutionally impeach Governor Chibuike Amaechi.
The party in a statement made available to Blank NEWS Online by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, Senior Special Aide on Media and Public Affairs to the Interim State Chairman, said credible information at their disposal has it that the six rebel lawmakers have concluded plans to use hired hoodlums to forcefully gain entrance into the Rivers State House of Assembly to unleash their plot.
But the factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Evans Bipi has denied report that they have gained entry into the State House of Assembly to impeach the Governor.
Bipi said this after the Rivers State police vowed that nobody would be allowed into the Assembly Complex, just as the two faction of the state legislature as well as their supporters were dispersed by the police with teargas.
Making reference to one of the pro- Wike lawmakers’ stance, the APC party noted that, “As a measure of his confidence, the self-acclaimed Speaker and Leader of the six rebel lawmakers, Hon. Evans Bipi, today in Port Harcourt boasted that he holds the key to the State House of Assembly and that he will gain entrance to the complex whenever he feels like sitting with his members. Needless to say that this devilish plot, if allowed to see the light of day, will throw Rivers State into unprecedented chaos, but God in His infinite mercy will not allow it to come to pass”.
Continuing, the party said the allegation of leaders of PDP in Rivers State that Governor Amaechi intends to invite the majority 28 members of the State House of Assembly to sit in the Government House and pass the 2014 Budget of the State was not only laughable but also showed their level of ignorance.
“These funny characters forgot so soon that Governor Amaechi was the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly for eight years and Chairman of the Speakers Forum in Nigeria; so he knows the rudiments of law-making and can never be involved in any arrangement that would see lawmakers sitting outside the hallowed chambers of the State House of Assembly to pass the State Budget”, the party said.
The party thanked Rt. Hon. Amaechree, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and other patriotic lawmakers in the State for ensuring that a minority group doe not hold the state to ransom as desired by PDP leaders in Rivers and their paymasters in Abuja.
APC called on the police which stopped the majority lawmakers from sitting in the State House of Assembly recently, to rise to the occasion and ensure that the rebel lawmakers do not gain access to the hallowed chambers to perpetrate the weirdest impeachment in history, and one which, if permitted to happen, is capable of setting off a chain of events that could truncate Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy.
Meanwhile, the anti-Amaechi lawmakers have vehemently denied sneaking into the Rivers state House of Assembly to impeach Amaechi, saying they will sit once the court order requesting them to sit in Rivers is made available.
The factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Evans Bipi said, “Yes it is not true, what happened was that the PPRO to the Commissioner went to them and advised them to go, that they will not allow them to go in except they bring a Court Order.
“He also advised us as well to go back, that due process has to follow, when judgement is given there has to be a follow up order.
“When the proper thing is done, I must take over Rivers State House of Assembly Complex because the key is with me and when I want to open, I will open.”
