The
National Working Committee of the party had after an emergency meeting
on Monday announced the suspension of Mr. Amaechi for contravening
“Articles 58 1 (b), (c ), (h) and (m) of the PDP Constitution following
his refusal to obey the lawful directive of the Rivers State Executive
Committee to rescind his decision dissolving the elected Executive
Council of Obiokpor Local Government Area of Rivers State”.
The
suspension came three days after the PDP and the presidency failed in
their bid to dethrone the Rivers state governor from the chairmanship of
the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. The governor won a reelection by
defeating the presidency/PDP-backed Jonah Jang 19 to 16 votes. In anger
the PDP suspended him and raised an 11-member disciplinary committee to
try him. But speaking to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday night, Mr. Amaechi said
he would not leave the party for those seeking to oust him.
“The
suspension is to frustrate me out of the party,” Mr. Amaechi said on
the telephone. “They believe I will leave once they do it. But no one
can stampede me out of our party. I won’t go anywhere.” The governor
said rather than leave the party, he would remain within the fold to
challenge his suspension and victimization with every legitimate weapon
at his disposal. “I will challenge this suspension because it is
illegal,” Mr. Amaechi said.
“I
will use all legal means possible to seek redress. They accused me of
not reinstating a suspended local government council chairman who was
suspended by the state House of Assembly. Am I a member of the Assembly?
Why will anyone blame me for the action of the assembly?” The governor
described his suspension as a political witch-hunt, saying the party was
merely reacting in anger to his reemergence as chairman of the NGF.
“They
were confident that they would defeat me,” Mr. Amaechi explained. “But
they were shocked that I defeated them. They couldn’t take the defeat in
good faith, and they needed to do something.” The governor also said
the party was apprehensive about his political future and that it is
doing everything possible to bring him down. “All they are doing has to
do with political tussle,” he said. “They believe I will contest for a
position and they believe they should stop me now.”
The
last few months have been politically stormy for Mr. Amaechi after the
presidency and the top brass of the PDP became uncomfortable with him
for allegedly opposing party chair Bamanga Tukur and President Goodluck
Jonathan on some important national issues. He is also accused of using
his post to strategically position himself as vice-presidential
candidate of the party in the coming presidential election. In late
February, the ruling party formed the PDP Governors’ Forum, led by
Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, in what analysts see as a last
gasp effort by Mr. Jonathan and Mr. Tukur to dilute the perceived
growing political influence of Mr. Amaechi, who was elected chairman of
the Nigeria Governor’s Forum in June 2011 for an initial two-year term.
In mid-April, the control of the Rivers state chapter of the PDP was
wrested from the governor after an Abuja High Court, sacked the
executive committee of the party, led by Godspower Ake, a loyalist of
Mr. Amaechi. The court, in a ruling by Justice Ishaq Bello, recognized
the executive committee led by Felix Obuah, a loyalist of the Minister
of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, the presidency’s hatchet man in the
battle with the governor.
In
late April, the Federal Government banned the Rivers State-owned
bombardier aircraft from flying in Nigeria’s airspace again in what
critics see as a ploy to cripple the government travels in and out of
Nigeria. Aviation authorities claim the plane’s clearance certificate
had expired and that its paperwork was a forgery, an allegation that has
been punctured by a House of Representatives Committee that
investigated the matter. The PDP and the presidency spent most of May
strategizing on how to defeat the Rivers governor in the NGF
chairmanship election held on Friday. Mr. Amaechi however prevailed, and
opponents are now fighting back.
Read more: xclusivetalk.blogspot.com
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