We ‘ll investigate role of police in Rivers — IGP

*As 27 lawmakers pledge support to Amaechi, Amachree

BY BEN AGANDE

Abuja—Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday, said the police high command will investigate the role of the police in the fracas at the Rivers State House of Assembly, saying anybody found to have misbehaved would be held accountable.

He said he had dispatched a Deputy Inspector General of Police to Port Harcourt to investigate the situation.

The Inspector General of police’s position came on the heels of thorough scrutiny by the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, by his colleague ministers before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House.

35 soldiers withdrawn from Rivers Govt House

Meanwhile, a top security source confirmed, yesterday, that 35 military men assigned to protect Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State had been withdrawn from Government House, PortHarcourt.

When Vanguard called the Army Public Relations Officer, PRO, in the state, Major Mike Etete, he referred him to the police PRO, DSP Angela Agabe, who also declined comments on the matter.

27 lawmakers back Speaker Amachree

The 27 members of the pro-Amaechi group in the House of Assembly yesterday, reiterated their unflinching loyalty to the speaker of the House,  Otelema Amachree as they dismissed contentions by the group of five that the speaker had been impeached.

Day 2: Rivers House of Assembly crisis

In a statement signed by 26 members of the group, they disputed the claim by Evans Bipi that Amachree had been impeached by the group of five members after the fracas of last Tuesday even as they pledged 100 per cent loyalty to Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

They said: “The attention of the undersigned members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have been drawn to the alleged and widely publicized “Impeachment” of the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Otelema Daniel Amachree by five sponsored and disgruntled members of the Assembly.

“We state for the benefit of the public that no such situation existed on the floor of the House. These are mere machinations of the five members desperate to do their masters bidding.

“The purported claim by a member of the Assembly, Evans Bapakaye Bipi to be the new speaker of the State Assembly is outrightly false and hallucinations of the most debased form. We urge members of the public and the press to disregard such claims.

“We hereby declare that we are 100 percent behind our Speaker, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Dan Amachree even as we are fully in support of our Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.”

#source: Vanguard

No extending President’s tenure beyond 4 yrs, says Ihedioha

BY OKEY NDIRIBE, EMMAN OVUAKPORIE & IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

ABUJA—Deputy Speaker and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Mr Emeka Ihedioha, yesterday, maintained that nothing would compel the National Assembly to extend the tenure provision for the office of the President beyond four years.

Ihedioha, who spoke at an event organized by Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, led by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, PLAC, to review some of the proposed amendments to the constitution, said despite pressures on the legislative arm of government to elongate the tenure of the President to seven years, “we have unanimously rejected such proposal as doing so will be contrary to the wish of the people.”

Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha

Highlighting the circumstances that informed the lower legislative chamber of the National Assembly to dissociate itself from moves to amend the constitution to create an extended single tenure for both the office of the President and governor, Ihedioha said: “This is one area where the committee relied on the results obtained from the Peoples Public Session.

“Indeed item 25 asked the question, ‘should section 135 and 180(2) be amended to create a single tenure of five, six or seven years for the office of President and Governor respectively?”

“245 Federal constituencies rejected the question of a single tenure for Chief Executives while 110 Federal Constituencies supported same with five abstentions. The committee did not stop here. It posed a direct question “should the (four year) two term tenure provision for the office of the President or office of Governor be retained in the Constitution?

“To this further question, 263 Federal Constituencies voted ‘Yes’ and only 95 Federal Constituencies voted ‘No’ with two abstentions.

With this level of unanimity, it was not difficult for the committee to adopt the current four year renewable tenure and to reject the single term proposal of neither five, six or seven years.

“This is the clear position of Nigerians on this issue. It was not therefore difficult for the House of Representatives to reject proposal for extension of tenure of the executive. It was purely the wish of the people. Once the people take a priority, we are honour bound to abide by it.

“As a representative institution, the House of Reps made an effort to give pride of place to the views, wishes and aspirations of its constituents-the Nigerian people in this constitution review exercise.

 

Crisis rocks Rivers Assembly; Speaker impeached

There was a fight at the Rivers State House of Assembly this morning when hoodlums and some members attacked principal officers of the House, with an assortment of weapons.

Five lawmakers alleged to be anti-Amaechi impeached the Speaker, Otelemaba Amachree and  replaced him with Evans Bipi.

Some lawmakers were said to be badly injured and have been taken to the hospital for treatment. Details later.

 

#source: Vanguard

I am still in charge – Rivers Speaker, Amachree

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

PORT HARCOURT:  SPEAKER of the Rivers state House of Assembly, Hon Otelemaba Amachree has dismissed as untrue allegations that he had been impeached by five members of the House.

It was reported this morning that five members of the House said to be anti governor Chibuike Amaechi lawmakers pronounced Hon Evans Bipi as Speaker of the assembly. The members at a session in the House said they had impeached the Speaker, Hon Otemeba Amachree.

Amachree, who spoke shortly after  he presided over a session of the  House where twenty three members  gave approval to the governor to amend some sections of capital expenditure on the 2013 budget said there was no way five members could impeach principal officers of the state House of Assembly. Details Later

 

#source: Vanguard