The All Progressives Congress, APC, has berated President Goodluck Jonathan for deploying state apparatus against the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
The APC which was reacting to the blockade of the Rivers State Government House by the police last Thursday, said without the tacit support of the president, the policemen would not have acted the way they did.
The opposition party, which made this position known in a statement on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, accused the President of committing impunity and unconstitutionality, which according to it are threatening the peace and stability of Nigeria.
Although the Rivers State police command has denied blocking Governor Amaechi from gaining access to Government House in Port Harcourt, APC disagreed saying the policemen on duty must have been assured of support from higher authorities.
APC said, “Without the President’s support, the police could not have had the temerity to act the way they did in blocking Gov. Chibuike Amaechi and his guests from his residence.
“President Jonathan should be held responsible for the current climate of impunity, unconstitutionality and overheating of the polity that is threatening the peace and stability of the country.”
It however warned that giving presidential backing to the police – or any national institution – to commit impunity and violate the nation’s constitution could destroy and erode public confidence in them.
The statement added, “President Jonathan, more than any other President in the history of the country, has promoted and encouraged impunity and unconstitutionality, encouraged divisive policies and exploited religious and ethnic differences – all in his attempts to cling to power till 2015 and beyond.
“President Jonathan however should be told in clear and unambiguous language that Nigerians will resist all machinations by him to turn Nigeria into a police state.”
APC also noted that Mr. Jonathan had failed his party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party and Nigeria, cautioning that the police should not be used for regaining his “lost dignity” in the country.
He said, “A President who presumably won a pan-Nigerian mandate, whose party controls 23 out of 36 states and has an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly has, in a period of less than 30 months, frittered all away and is today left with less than 16 state governors and lost control of the National Assembly.
“President Jonathan today holds the unenviable record of being the first sitting President of the country to suffer the indignity of being walked out upon by governors and federal legislators elected under the platform of his own party; as well as senior members of the same party at its National Convention in the full glare of local and international media.”
Lai Mohammed was not in Rivers State to witness the drama that happened miles away from government house. Amaechi a serial lair told BBC the wrong information to soil the name of the president. If the hungry ex house members who have turned beggars are really honourable, they would told the press the truth. The day of reckoning will come when this good for nothing governor will account for all his unpopular actions in Rivers State.
The entire people of kaduna south under
the platform APC we are advising
Nigerians should come out and vote for APC at 2015 election race and we
are praying insha Allah APC will take off 2015 election. It’s time for
positive change…
PDP is a blessing to us in APC; we prayed for that, we all prayed that
the PDP should have crisis, because we are in soup if they are united.
ABUBAKAR LAWAL.