Governors Shun Economic Council For Amaechi

Some governors yesterday shunned the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting to visit embattled Rivers State Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.
The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state boiled over last week in the House of Assembly when five members attempted to impeach Speaker Otelemaba DanAmachree, who enjoys the support of 26 members.

Factions in the crisis have engaged in street brawls. Amaechi has accused Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu of taking sides with those opposed to him —an accusation which the police chief denied.
Following Monday’s visit of four PDP governors – Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Musa Kwankwaso (Kano) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa)- five Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N) governors yesterday visited Amaechi.
Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun)were accompanied by deputy governors Eze Madumere (Imo), Mukhtar Anka(Zamfara) and Damashi Baruwa (Nasarawa), who represented their governors.
Fayemi said they ought to be in Abuja for the NEC meeting but due to their deep concern for the security of the citizens of Rivers State, theydecided to go to Port Harcourt to “meet with our brother and Chairman of our Governors’ Forum, Governor Amaechi”.
Fayemi said they advised Amaechi to “brief President Goodluck Jonathan, who is actually our leader and Chief Security Officer of the country on the very, very challenging security situation here in Rivers State”.
“We believe that our chairman and brother will give serious consideration to that particular concern that we have also expressed too to him, that it is important as the chief security officer of Rivers State to take the opportunity to go and brief Mr President on the security situation in the state.”
He added: “We thought it will be important for the hierarchy of our Police authority, the Inspector General of Police, to help in restoring the confidence of the people of Rivers State that has really been greatly diminished in the Police service and the command here in Rivers State.
“We believe that the Inspector General of Police is very well placed to help take the necessary step to restore the confidence of the government, the governor and the people in the police in Rivers State.
“And every step that is critical to making that possible we believe that the Inspector General of Police should take. For us, we believe that these remarks really require the moral authority of Mr President as well.”
Fayemi also said: “It is about deepening this democracy. It is about ensuring that peace reigns not just in Rivers because we know that Rivers is of concern to Governor Amaechi. But the state of security in the entire country is also of concern to him. We believe that Mr President, being our leader – we are all President’s men – we are all President’s Governors.
“He is our leader and we feel that he actually occupies a very critical position that necessitates his wielding his moral authority inensuring that peace reigns here and that nobody uses a subterfuge to create situations that are entirely avoidable.
“The tension in Rivers State is entirely avoidable and we want all parties to sheathe their swords and to help restore the peace and security of our state here.”
Zamfara State Deputy Governor Mukhtar Anka advised Amaechi to discuss with the President so that we can find a way out of this crisis, which is avoidable and we believe that by meeting with the President, we will find a way out of this crisis in Rivers State, to sustain democracy in Nigeria”.
At the NEC meeting were governors of Kano, Niger, Kwara, Benue, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba (Acting), Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Cross River.
The deputy governors who attended were thosefrom Sokoto, Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina, Kogi, Borno, Edo, Rivers and Bayelsa.
To prevent a repeat of Tuesday’s attack on the convoy of the visiting Northern governors at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa, over 10,000 youths supporting Governor Rotimi Amaechi took over the airport yesterday during the visit of eight progressive governors.
The supporters of the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, under the aegisof the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI),who protested against the visit of four governors on Tuesday, were not there yesterday.
The aircraft that conveyed the eight progressive governors landed at the Air Force Base on the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway, instead of the Port Harcourt International Airport.
The youths, made up mostly of the members ofthe Ikwerre Youth Movement (IYM), who got to the Port Harcourt International Airport at 7 am, asked Wike to address the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha, and other top government officials, were also at the Port Harcourt International Airport to identify with the youths, who were singing and dancing, untilthey left the airport for the Air Force base at 12:30 pm.
The youths, armed with placards bearing various inscriptions, declared that they would always be at the airport, anytime Amaechi would be travelling or receiving visitors to prevent any incident.
Some of the placards read: “Nyesom Wike, stop fighting Governor Amaechi”; “No GovernorAmaechi, no peace in Rivers State”; “Wike is fighting Governor Amaechi to get favour from President Jonathan”; “Governor Amaechi must be free from intimidation” and “Wike, address ASUU strike.”