Picture Of Amaechi And Goodluck At The Airport Before Last Night Showdown With Police
Just
before the latest bubble in Port Harcourt,Rivers State
Governor Chibuike Amaechi and his deputy are seen here at the Port
Harcourt Airport yesterday afternoon,receiving President Goodluck
Jonathan and his team who were in the State to attend a programme put in
place by the Anglican Church in Nigeria
Nigerians Condemn Police Blockade Of Rivers Gov Residence
A member of the House of Representatives, who is also
the Chairman, House Committee on Downstream, Mr. Dakuku Peterside,
described the police action as the height of
dictatorship in the country.
Peterside, who is from Rivers State,
spoke via a statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Sylvester Asoya.
He said, “A situation whereby the
Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu led police in the State, an agency
funded with tax payers money, to block the elected state
governor from having access to Government House, showed that
Nigeria was on a free fall to maximum dictatorship.”
Peterside further lamented that “the
insult on the Government of Rivers State is an affront to all elected
political office holders in Nigeria that requires definite
condemnation by all lovers of freedom and democracy.”
A former chairman of the Action
Congress of Nigeria in Oyo State, who is now a leading figure in the
newly registered All Progressives Alliance, Mr. Akin Oke,
said the action of the police in Rivers State was a threat to democracy,
calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to caution Mbu, for
disrespecting social equality.
Similarly, a respected lawyer, Prof.
Itse Sagay (SAN), and the National Vice President, Committee for the Defense
of Human Rights, Mr. Taiwo Otitolaye, said the police action was a
threat to democracy.
In separate telephone interviews with
our correspondent in Ilorin on Friday, they advised against acts that
could jeopardize the nation’s democracy.
While Sagay said the
blockage was an abuse of power and a violation of Nigeria’s
constitution, Otitolaye said it was an act of brigandage.
“It is undemocratic. We condemn
it in strong terms. It is worrisome to us now that we are not in a
military dictatorship. We do not want to revert to that era
of military dictatorship. We ask that the presidency should not use the
police or other security apparatus for any undemocratic adventure. He
should desist henceforth from such,” Otitolaye said.
Sagay described the police action
as a breach of the rule of law, a breach of the right of the
freedom of the movement of the governor; a breach of Amaechi’s
right to go to his office and an inhumane act. He
said, “It is a breach of everything. It should not be seen to happen in a
civilized society or a democratic society.”
Oke said, “The event of Thursday in
Port Harcourt is worrisome and disturbing, particularly at this point
when we are thinking that democracy has come to stay. For democracy
to thrive in Nigeria, there must be tolerance. When you now view it from the
point that there is no tolerance within the party (PDP), how do we grow
our democracy?” We Did Not Block Amaechi's House..Police
The Rivers State Police Command
on Thursday denied blocking Governor Amaechi, from gaining access
into the Government House. The command in a statement signed by its Public
Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, described media reports on
the matter as “incorrect, false, fictitious and wrong in its entirety”.
The statement reads, “The attention
of the police command has been drawn to stories making the round in the
media that the police blocked the road to the Rivers State
Government House in Port Harcourt, denying His Excellency, Governor
Chibuike Amaechi ,access to the Government House.
The police state categorically that
they did not block the road leading to the Government House, neither did
they deny Governor Rotimi Amaechi access to the Government House in
Port Harcourt or elsewhere.
“The story is incorrect, false,
fictitious and wrong in its entirety and it is calculated to
mislead the people of Rivers State, Nigerians and the general
public. The Nigeria Police Force deems it necessary to place in
proper perspective the event that gave rise to the wrong
information being peddled in the media.’’ 
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