The Rivers State Government has told the people of the state not to lose sleep as the fate that befell the Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Hamman-Yero Nyako (retd.), who was impeached yesterday by Adamawa lawmakers, cannot befall Governor Chibuike Amaechi.

Addressing the APC Youths League Rivers State Chapter and Igbo Professionals in Rivers State, paid him a solidarity visit in his office in Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha, the Chief of Staff to Governor Amaechi, declared that the sad event that took place in Adamawa would never be allowed to happen in Rivers as the majority of the lawmakers in the state are true progressives who are loyal to both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Amaechi, assuring that they “will never give in to such rascality as exhibited by the Adamawa lawmakers.”

Chief Okocha maintained that efforts by “the powers that be in Abuja to use the renegade Group of 6 Lawmakers to unconstitutionally unseat Governor Amaechi will come to nothing since the majority of Rivers State lawmakers have resolved to swim and sink with the mandate of the Rivers State people embodied in the person of Governor Amaechi.”

A statement issued on behalf of Rivers APC Chairman, Chief (Dr.) Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, by his senior media aide, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, quoted Okocha as saying: “I wish to assure all APC faithful and the entire good people of Rivers State that they should continue with their normal business activities as no effort by some unscrupulous undemocratic elements will succeed in thwarting or tampering with the mandate they freely gave to Governor Amaechi as I am very convinced that we are capable and ready to defend the mandate no matter the odds.”

The statement said that Chief Okocha further assured the two groups that with the feats recorded by Governor Amaechi in the areas of education, health, agriculture, infrastructure and good governance, APC is a sure bet to retain the Brick Wall (Government House) come 2015 not minding the resolve of PDP bigwigs to resort to rigging and intimidation as they are sure that the Rivers State people have abandoned them.

It said that while the Rivers State APC Youths League was led by Comrade Hart Lawson accompanied by Solomon Okocha, Chris Okah among other leaders of the group, the Igbo Group was led by a business mogul in Rivers State, High Chief Ubaka Williams, and was accompanied by the Secretary, Barr. Obinna JK Chukwu, Chief Uchenna Okokoba the leader of Non Indigenes in Rivers State, among other great Igbo leaders of thought.

The statement quoted Comrade Lawson and Chief Ubeka as telling Chief Okocha: “We are here on behalf of the good people of Rivers State to assure our performing Governor of our unflinching support and readiness at any time to defend and protect the mandate we freely gave to Governor Amaechi.”

Reacting to Nyako’s impeachment, Dr. Ikanya said: “We never thought that Adamawa State lawmakers would allow external forces to cause them to impeach a Governor that was not only duly elected but also enjoyed the overwhelming support of the people of Adamawa State just to satisfy the selfish and evil plots of undemocratic elements operating from Abuja. To us, this is a retrogressive development aimed at rubbishing a man who has sacrificed so much for the unity and progress of Nigeria as a nation,”

Continuing, the Rivers APC Chairman said in the statement: “It is a pity that Nyako has to pay for the sin of spearheading the election of President Jonathan both at the 2011 PDP Presidential Primaries election and the general election proper of Mr. President in 2011. This is one of the reasons why also Rivers State is under siege for giving Mr. President the highest number of votes during the 2011 Presidential election. We are not used to crying over spilled milk but we will like to assure Adamawa people that we are solidly behind them, not minding the efforts of some undemocratic forces to put our democracy in danger.

“Impeachment is a normal exercise in any democracy but any induced impeachment like that of Adamawa State is condemnable. It beats my imagination why the PDP-led Federal Government should be putting our democracy in danger by luring and forcing some disgruntled and misguided lawmakers to be making efforts to impeach Governors of only APC-controlled states. The cases of Edo and Nasarawa states readily come to mind. The world is watching and let us sees where all these rascality acts will lead us to as a nation.

“We all should be on guard before these undemocratic elements collapses our democracy just because of their desperation to install President Jonathan for a third time as the President of Nigeria against the letters of our Constitution that says that nobody should act as a President for more than eight years. Should these elements succeed in their evil plot, they will be making President Jonathan to preside over this nation for over ten years and maybe thereafter make him a LIFE PRESIDENT!”

•Photo shows Governor Amaechi.

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