Salvation Rally: Amaechi’s statement on 2015 treasonable – Presidency
Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, saying his
Wednesday's statement during the Salvation Rally in
Abuja by the All Progressives Congress, APC, was not only
unfortunate, mischievous, but treasonable.
Addressing journalists yesterday, Senior Special Assistant
to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who
tagged his speech, "Amaechi's open threat to democracy,"
said but for the immunity which governors enjoy while in
office, the government would have picked Amaechi and
make him face the full wrath of the law.
Okupe, who described Amaechi as a liability to the APC
and not an asset, said: "It is even more evil and certainly
anti-democratic for him to threaten "civil disobedience"
and the forming of a parallel government if his party
loses the 2015 general elections.
"We unequivocally condemn this stance by Governor
Amaechi, which borders on attaining power through
threat, intimidation and subversion of popular will.
"If Mr. Amaechi is so much afraid of his party crashing to
defeat in the general elections, what he needs to do is to
advise the leadership of his party to either give up in
good time or repackage itself in order to appeal to
Nigerian voters who must definitely have the final say in
the democratic process.
"We also want to sound a note of warning to Mr Amaechi
and other desperate players on our political scene that
Nigeria has moved away from the dark days of
dictatorship and resort to brigandage and that any
attempt by any individual or group of individuals to
resort to extra legal means of acquiring power, would be
dealt with by the laws of the land.
Incitement, treason and gross rascality
"On Wednesday, November 19, 2014, the Governor of
Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, made a few comments
about the forthcoming general elections, which bother on
incitement, treason and gross rascality.
"Mr. Amaechi, who became Governor of Rivers State in
2007 consequent upon a court judgment, said at a street
rally organised by the All Progressives Congress that if the
2015 elections are 'rigged', his party will not seek redress
in court but would rather carry out what he called 'civil
disobedience' as well as form a 'parallel government'.
"This statement is clearly a further evidence of Governor
Amaechi's penchant for lawlessness and anarchy in his
unbridled pursuit for power. It is curious and unthinkable
that a man who was himself a beneficiary of the court
process would disdain the very platform through which
he acquired the opportunity to make his reckless and
provocative statement.
"It is even more worrisome when one considers the fact
that Governor Amaechi's party, which is relatively new,
came on board promising hope to Nigerians. With
statements like this, it is clear that Amaechi is more of a
liability to his party than asset and has the potential to
bring his party to further opprobrium and disrepute.
"For someone who aspires to become the vice president
of this country, his disdain for law and order is not only
unfortunate but also patently dangerous and sends dark
signals about the survival of our democracy.
"Discerning Nigerians know that comments like this not
only do not augur well for any democracy but also
portray Mr. Amaechi as a reckless, power hungry
individual who lacks both the democratic temper and
respect for constituted authority and institutions. For a
party that has made so much noise about its intentions to
offer Nigerians a new deal, we wonder how the APC can
be comfortable with a loose cannon like Governor
Amaechi.
"It is clear to any discerning mind that Mr. Amaechi's
indecorous outbursts and his obvious disregard and
contempt for the rule of law, have defined him as unfit to
hold any serious public office in this country let alone the
vice presidency of Nigeria to which he aspires.
"Since Nigerians know for a fact that the Rivers State
Governor has not been living in the moon but has been in
this country since the commencement of our present
democratic experiment, they are definitely at pains to
understand why he has failed to acknowledge the
successes that have attended our electoral processes
since President Jonathan came on board in 2010."
"It is a well-known fact that the administration of
President Goodluck Jonathan has remained faithful to its
commitment to electoral transparency in all elections
conducted since the electoral reforms of 2010.
Unlike what obtained in the not too distant past,
President Jonathan has ensured that the electoral
commission remains truly independent of all influences
and manipulations and this has won the Nigerian
electoral process a lot of accolades from the local and
international community.
"The People's Democratic Party (PDP), which is the
President's political party, had lost elections in several
states and electoral constituencies with the President
usually being the first to congratulate winners of such
contests.
"This is the hallmark of President Goodluck Jonathan's
statesmanship and an undisputable commitment to
democratic norms and values.
It is therefore preposterous, evil and mischievous for Mr
Amaechi to suggest that there were plans by the Federal
government to rig any elections in today's Nigeria."
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