Opposition parties, Presidency trade words on govs stoning

JULY 18, 2013 BY JOHN ALECHENU AND GODWIN ISENYO 

L-R: Governors Rabi’u Kwankwaso (Kano State); Sule Lamido (Jigawa) Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), during the governors visit to Amaechi in Port Harcourt... on Tuesday.
| credits: NAN

Opposition political parties and the Presidency on Wednesday engaged in a fresh war of words over the political crisis in Rivers State.

The latest twist to the tale was the stoning of the convoy of four northern state governors, who paid a visit to their Rivers State counterpart, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday.

The Action Congress of Nigeria and the Congress for Progressive   Change both hold President Goodluck Jonathan liable for the incident.

Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Dr. Ahmed Gulak, however, dismissed such claims arguing that the governors in question knew the volatile situation in the state but yet chose to visit.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ACN asked Nigerians to hold Jonathan responsible if the country slides into anarchy as a result of the worsening crisis in Rivers state.

The party said the attack, which was unprecedented in Nigeria, took place under President Jonathan’s watch.

It said, “We will not accept the usual sophistry that President Jonathan is not in any way involved in the Rivers crisis.

“It is also not an excuse to argue that the President did not know that the visiting Governors will be attacked, because as the country’s Chief Security Officer, he has his ears and eyes all over the country in the persons of security agents.

“Therefore, if the argument is that he did not know of the attack, then he is not on top of his game.”

The statement further stated, “ACN wondered when it became a sin for any Nigerian, including elected officials, to visit any part of the country as the Governors did.

“There can be no justification other than organised political rascality for a group of paid hoodlums to invade a secure environment like the airport and pelt the convoy bearing the governors with all sorts of objects.”

National Publicity Secretary of the CPC, Rotimi Fashakin, said the President could not extricate himself from what was happening in the state.

He said, “Jonathan as President is totally out of control. The greatest tragedy of the Nigerian nation is that we have a President who still has a long list of lessons to learn in leadership.

“This President is telling the whole nation that he is not involved when in actual fact every finger is pointing towards his direction.”

Gulak said while the attack was condemnable, it was a fact that the state was tense and the people were angry with their governor.

He said, “There was no political wisdom when the state was under tension like that for Amaechi to invite some governors, who believably are his supporters, to go to that state and the people of the state are angry with the governor.”

SOURCE: The Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper 18 July 2013.