Many condemn Rivers Assembly uproar

Assembly Speaker Amachree

Several groups and prominent Nigerians on Tuesday condemned the chaos in the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Groups and individuals, who condemned the brawl included former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Senator Wilson Ake, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN)  and the Congress for Progressive Change.

The CPC blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for the fracas.

The party’s spokesman, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, described happenings in the state as Jonathan’s brand of democracy.

Fashakin said the attempt by five lawmakers, who were opposed to the state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, to impeach principal officers of the House,  was reckless.

He wondered how five members could attempt to impose their views on the 27 others.

The CPC spokesman said, “I believe that is President Jonathan’s  brand of democracy;  a democracy in which 16 members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum attempt to lord it over 19 other members.”

He urged the President and the Peoples Democracy Party to learn from the demonstrations in Egypt.

Fashakin added, “It is utter recklessness, when lawmakers become law breakers. It is already settled that you cannot have an inchoate house trying to impeach principal officers of the House.

“The situation in which Aso Rock is trying to do Garrison democracy in Rivers State cannot work.  It will always boomerang.”

Atiku also condemned the attempt to remove elected leaders by unconstitutional means.

In a statement by his media office, Atiku said the country’s constitution was not written on sand that anybody could breach with impunity.

According to Atiku, any wanton disregard for the sanctity of the constitution or due process in the removal of elected public office holders will seriously harm our democratic order.

He explained that the constitution was superior to any individual and that any effort to apply barbaric tactics to remove leaders should not be condoned.

The former Vice President noted that the failure to punish similar crude attempts in the past had encouraged the impunity among those seeking to impeach elected leaders by means other than that enshrined in the constitution.

Also, Senator Wilson Ake said the fracas was a dangerous signal for democracy.

He “We will talk about it tomorrow. I am at the airport. I am just coming in from Port-Harcourt. What happened at the Rivers State House of Assembly this morning is a very dangerous signal for democracy.”

Falana  said, “The aborted removal of the Rivers State Speaker by a gang of five legislators aided by armed thugs and security operatives is illegal as it violates Section 92(2)(c) of the Constitution which requires the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of the members of the House of Assembly.”

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Abubakar Malami, said the lawmakers did not form the quorum that was constitutionally required to initiate an impeachment process.

Malami said, “It has to do with the issue of the quorum.

“You have to give consideration to whether the required number of members of the House of Assembly was involved and I do not think so because you have over 20 members.”

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, has promised that the Rivers State chapter of the party would handle the matter.

Tukur, who spoke through his spokesperson, Mr.  Oliver Okpara, said the state chapter of the PDP had not informed the national body of its inability to settle the matter.

Okpara said, “The happenings in the Rivers State House of Assembly an be handled by the state chapter of the PDP.”