Presidency, Amaechi’s war deepens

By Clifford Ndujihe & Ben Agande
ABUJA—THE political war raging between the Rivers State
Governor and the Presidency deepened, yesterday, with the
presidency describing Governor Rotimi Amaechi as a rascal
and warning him to stop insulting President Goodluck
Jonathan or be ready to face the consequences of his
utterances, including legal actions.
In a statement in Abuja, Special Adviser to the President on
Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati said Amaechi’s
penchant to insult the president and denigrate the office was
an “irresponsible and rascally behaviour” which he said
reached a new level in Port-Harcourt  last Saturday.
At an event marking seven years of his victory at the
Supreme Court on Saturday, Amaechi made series of
allegations against the president and the First Lady, Dame
Patience Jonathan, who he accused of  fomenting trouble
because he refused to share the resources of Rivers State
with her.

Rotimi Amaechi and Goodluck Jonathan

By Clifford Ndujihe & Ben Agande

ABUJA—THE political war raging between the Rivers State

Governor and the Presidency deepened, yesterday, with the

presidency describing Governor Rotimi Amaechi as a rascal

and warning him to stop insulting President Goodluck

Jonathan or be ready to face the consequences of his

utterances, including legal actions.

In a statement in Abuja, Special Adviser to the President on

Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati said Amaechi’s

penchant to insult the president and denigrate the office was

an “irresponsible and rascally behaviour” which he said

reached a new level in Port-Harcourt  last Saturday.

At an event marking seven years of his victory at the

Supreme Court on Saturday, Amaechi made series of

allegations against the president and the First Lady, Dame

Patience Jonathan, who he accused of  fomenting trouble

because he refused to share the resources of Rivers State

with her.

However, in a strongly worded statement, Dr. Abati

cautioned Amaechi to stop blackmailing the first lady as the

only thing she demands from him is ”good governance,

justice, equity, fairness, real development and progress in

Rivers State” and not money as Amaechi claimed.

Presidency blasts Amaechi

The statement read: “Governor Rotimi Amaechi took his

obnoxious willingness to denigrate the highest office in the

land in a reckless bid to advance his selfish political

interests to a new level of irresponsible and rascally

behaviour yesterday (Saturday) in Port Harcourt with his

totally false and baseless vituperations against President

Jonathan, the First Lady and the Federal Government.

“It appears from the governor’s completely unfounded and

off-the-mark allegations that he had totally lost all sense of

propriety, decorum and responsible political behaviour and

resorted to unacceptable demagoguery, libel, blackmail and

incitement of public disorder.

“Unless his unbridled ambition and desire for self-

promotion have completely befuddled his mental faculties

and caused him to totally lose touch with reality, Governor

Amaechi must know that his claims and allegations are

untrue.

“We can only assume therefore that he is deliberately

spewing malicious falsehood in a desperate effort to incite

the people of Rivers State and Nigeria against his assumed

political foes.

“We warn him that there are legal, constitutional and moral

limits to political rascality beyond which he will not be

allowed to go without repercussions.

“The immunity which he currently enjoys notwithstanding,

Governor Amaechi should be under no illusions:  A day of

reckoning will surely come when he will answer for all his

actions and false allegations against President Jonathan,

the First Lady and the Federal Government.

“He should also know that Nigerians are aware of the truth

and will never be fooled or swayed by his arrant

opportunism and anti-Jonathan rantings.

“Nigerians know that while Mr. Amaechi falsely accuses

others of corruption, he cannot show or explain to the

people of Rivers State what he has done with the billions of

Naira that has accrued to the state under his tenure. They

also know that while Amaechi continues to falsely accuse

the Jonathan Administration of having done nothing for

Rivers State, he has recklessly squandered huge state

resources on dubious, vain-glorious projects or self

aggrandizement.

“Nigerians will know too that while he falsely alleges that

Rivers and other states have not received funds due to them

from the Federation account, the only outstanding allocation

was for September, which was released to all states well

over a week ago.

“The Governor should stop trying to make President

Jonathan the scapegoat for his woeful performance in

Rivers State and look to his own very apparent failings and

incompetencies.

“He should also stop blackmailing the First Lady who has

demanded nothing from him other than good governance,

justice, equity, fairness, real development and progress in

Rivers State”.

FG fraustrating my efforts — Amaechi

At the Port Harcourt rally, last Saturday, Amaechi, who

spoke on some of his achievements since he came on

board, accused the Federal Government of frustrating his

effort to provide potable water for Port Harcourt.

“We were to give Port Harcourt water. As I am talking to

you, the Minister of Finance has refused to move the file

back to the executive council for approval so that you can

have water. They don’t care for you. Punish PDP with your

vote”, he said.

Amaechi lashed out at the Federal Government, saying it

had failed the people in several areas. “They said the

reason the President is not performing in Rivers is because

he is quarrelling with the governor. Okay, what is the

quarrel with the governor of Cross River and Akwa Ibom that

the road to Cross River is abandoned? Are they quarrelling

too? It is more of lack of performance.”

The governor accused the President of taking some oil wells

belonging to Rivers, adding that he did not encourage the

state effectively to fight Ebola when it broke out in the state.

“When Ebola broke out, to show you how much the

President hates us, he visited Lagos. Did he visit us? He did

not care. He wanted all of us to die. And I took it as a

challenge and say none of us will die. I brought out money.

It took the President at the end of Ebola to give us ordinary

200 million naira. I released one billion, one hundred and

six million naira to fight Ebola. See our airport. The

President lands there. We are like refugees”, he said.

Posted by Donatus Joshua at 15:35