RIVERS PEOPLE VERSUS ROTIMI AMECHI

PDP accuse AGF, Amaechi of plot to annul Rivers election

April 8, 2019Kunle Sanni

Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Amaechi briefing State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday (2/1/18) 0015/2/1/2018/Callistus Ewelike/NAN

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have accused the minister for transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, of plotting to cause “constitutional crisis” in the just concluded governorship election in Rivers state.
The PDP also alleged that the minister for justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami is linked in the conspiracy to subvert the will of the people.
The party’s national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the allegations in a statement on Sunday, in Abuja.
Mr Ologbondiyan also said the party is aware of how desperate the APC leaders are by their mounting pressure on the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Mohammed, to reverse the February 12, 2019 final judgment of the Supreme Court.
“Nigerians can recall that in nullifying the APC primaries and barring it from fielding any candidates in Rivers State for the 2019 general elections, the High Court held, and rightly too, that APCs’ primaries in the state were invalid and cannot be considered.

“Acting upon the final judgment of the Supreme Court, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on February 23, 2019 held the Presidential/National Assembly elections and on March 9, 2019 conducted the governorship and State House of Assembly elections in Rivers state, in which the APC, having been lawfully excluded, did not participate.
“Nigerians can also recall how the APC, having been frustrated by its lawful exclusion, used compromised security agents to violently disrupt the smooth conduct of elections in Rivers State.
The Supreme Court on Thursday, adjourned hearing in the four appeals on Rivers State All Progressive Congress (APC) primary election, for nomination of candidates for 2019 general election, until April 8 and 11.
The opposition spokesperson also alleged that prior to the outcome of the governorship election, Mr Amaechi had been going around boasting he has the listening ears of the Acting CJN, Muhammed Tanko, and that the apex court in the land, will reverse itself and declare for fresh conduct of all the elections in Rivers State.
“The PDP has information of how Rotimi Amaechi has been going around in Rivers State, giving assurances that he has the ears of the Supreme Court under the leadership of Acting CJN, Justice Tanko Mohammed, and that the Supreme Court will reverse its final judgment on APC Primaries and create the way for fresh elections in Rivers State, in which the APC will be allowed to participate.

“Rotimi Amaechi goes about boasting that the apex court in the land, the Supreme Court, will reverse itself and declare for fresh conduct of all the elections in Rivers State.
Mr Ologbondiyan appealed to the acting CJN, Mohammed, not to allow himself be used by desperate politicians in the ruling party to cause anarchy in Rivers State.
“The Supreme Court is the highest temple of justice in our country and, as such, must protect itself from all forms of manipulative tendencies of the APC,” he said.
Yekini Nabena, the All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy national publicity secretary, in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, however, debunked the claims, accusing the PDP of always crying foul.
“There is nothing like that and the PDP are always crying foul. It is all propaganda. It is the normal PDP propaganda,” he added.
Efforts to reach the minister for transportation’s spokesperson, David Iyofor, was unsuccessful as his known phone number was not reachable as at when this report was filed.