Rivers under siege, says Amaechi

TUESDAY, 25 JUNE 2013 00:00 FROM LEMMY UGHEGBE (ABUJA), KELVIN EBIRI (PORT HARCOURT), ALEMMA-OZIORUVA ALIU (BENIN CITY) AND SEYE OLUMIDE (LAGOS) NEWS - NATIONAL

CP bars visitors to gov Confusion over legal representation stalls NGFs suit Oshiomhole faults calls for govs forums proscription ALLEGING that his state was under siege, Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi Tuesday accused the state commissioner of police of directing all divisional police officers to bar elders from four councils from visiting the governor in Port Harcourt. Irked by this breach of the constitutional rights of the elders drawn from Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Abua-Odual and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Councils by the police, Amaechi has vowed to lead a protest against the Federal Government and dare the Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, to shoot him and others. He spoke when thousands of his supporters from the four councils commonly known as Orashi region of the state paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt. Amaechi, who lauded the people for their courage to insist on their fundamental human rights to free movement, said he had got a report very late on Monday night that the police had planned to stop them from visiting Port Harcourt. You should have recorded them so that you can show to the world how much a tyrant our commissioner of police is. Let us assume the commissioner of police is coming to protect, he cannot say we ban protest when it is part of your fundamental human rights which are there in the constitution. So, is his (Mbus) personal order now superior to the constitution? he said. He continued: We are now in a police state in Rivers State, if they block the entire Orashi region by not allowing a million persons. That area has more than one million population because we have Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Council, you have Abua/Odual, you also have Ahoada East and Ahoada West councils and all policemen put together in Rivers are not more than 17,000, but with their guns, they were able to come and try to stop you. What you showed them is what we call peoples power. But Police Public Relations Officer of the Rivers Police Command, Angela Agabe (DSP), said the police commissioner did not infringe on the peoples rights. The commissioner of police cannot stop anybody from travelling from one part of the state to another; they are law-abiding citizens with rights to freedom of movement. So, it is false that the commissioner gave such an order, Agabe said. Besides, owing to confusion over legal representation for factional chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, hearing in the

suit filed by Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde, Raji Fashola, over the crisis of leadership within the NGF was stalled yesterday. Also yesterday, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole faulted the call by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Okey Wali (SAN), for the proscription of the NGF, saying the call was a contradiction of freedom of association as provided for in the constitution Though it could not be confirmed yesterday whether Oshiomhole would attend or not, Oshiomhole said the call for the scrapping of the NGF made in Bayelsa State by Wali would have been influenced by the factor of location, adding that he betrayed his oath to defend Nigerians on the right to associate. The governor made these remarks on Monday while opening the 2013 Law Week of the NBA, Benin Branch. Fashola is praying a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court to restrain factional chairman of NGF, Jang, from parading himself as the forums chairman. Listed as co-defendants are Asishana Bayo Okauru, Osaro Onaiwu and the Registered Trustees, NGF. However, the suit, which was listed for mention yesterday, could not go on as scheduled, as Chief Tayo Oyetibo and Mr. Paul Erokoro (both Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs), announced their appearances for Jang and Osaro Onaiwu who is the third defendant. The team, led by Erokoro, had three other SANs. In order not to take the time of the court in view of the confusion, counsel to the second and fourth defendant, Dr. Awa Kalu (SAN), prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable parties resolve the matter. But The Guardian learnt that Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) is the head of the legal team for the first and third defendants as he was duly briefed. Impeccable sources within the Jang-led faction said the confusion in legal representation was caused by some loyalists to Jang who briefed Paul Erokoro (SAN) on behalf of Jang. He said the matter had been resolved with Oyetibo (SAN) as the lead counsel. The plaintiff was represented by a former Attorney General (AG) of Lagos State, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo (SAN) and Mr. Femi Falana (SAN). Consequently, the trial judge, Justice Peter Affen, adjourned the matter to July 3 for regularisation of appearances. In the pending suit, Fashola is asking the court to restrain Jang from parading himself as NGFs chairman. This, according to the plaintiff, is against the backdrop of the fact

that the May 23 election, from where Jang purports to draw his strength, was won by Amaechi.