The trio of Rivers State commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu; the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, and the state chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Felix Obuah has shunned the Judicial Commission of Inquiry investigating the fighting that broke out at the assembly on July 10, 2013.
Their decision to stay away from the commission, which also has the mandate to make recommendation on how to prevent such occurrence in future, is an indication that peace may still be far away, or that the situation could degenerate in spite of efforts by well meaning individuals to resolve the crisis.
According to the commission’s chairman, Justice Biobele Georgewill, the panel has only received three memos from the counsels to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Otelemaba Dan-Amachree, the 25 pro-Amaechi lawmakers and the Leader of the House, Chidi Llyod.
Efforts to get the commitment of others whose inputs are needed by the commission has so far failed.
Georgewill urged those whose names and organizations were mentioned in the memos to make their submissions to the commission before 12 noon on Tuesday August 20, 2013 which is the next sitting date of the commission.
Georgewill said: “The publication of the entire memos so far submitted to the commission together with the hearing notice in a special edition of one of the local newspapers circulating within Rivers state, particularly in the Port Harcourt metropolis at great cost and expense to the judicial commission in a bid to ensure that all persons and organizations mentioned as having played any role in the said crisis.”
Despite the commission serving Mbu, Wke and Obuah memos by hand and courier companies for their participation at sittings, Georgewill said they returned the memos to the commission through the same means, and that they have not sent any legal to represent that at the commission.
It is also the same with five anti-Amaechi lawmakers in the Assembly, who have distanced themselves from the commission on the grounds that Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who was present in the Assembly chamber when the House Leader, Chidi Lloyd repeatedly hit fellow lawmaker, Micheal Chinda with a mace, set up the commission.
The five lawmakers are Evans Bipi, Victor Ihunwo, Kelechi Nwaogu, Martins Amaewhule and Michael Chinda, who is recuperating in a London hospital after he sustained head injury when they fought in the House.
One of the lawmakers has gone to court to stop the commission from sitting, noting that they will not get fair hearing. The court will rule on the matter on Friday.
Also being expected were responses from the General Managers of 92.3FM, Love FM all in Port Harcourt as well as the correspondent of TVC in Port Harcourt, Oluchi Iwuoha who was also copied the memos.
The PDP chairman, in a statement signed by his media adviser, Jerry Needam, justified why Wike, Obuah and the five anti Amaechi lawmakers shunned the commission, arguing that Amaechi cannot be a judge in his own matter.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Amachree through his counsel Ken Atsuwete said he cannot appear at the sitting for fear of his personal safety. The speaker has gone into hiding since the state police command got a go ahead from a court in Port Harcourt to interrogate him over allegation of assassination plot against Amaechi in a “neighbouring state.”
He had earlier sought an injunction from the court to prevent the police from inviting him for questioning on the allegation, and has not been seen in public since the police got the court’s go ahead.
The Speaker wants the commission to move its sitting to a more private place or possibly to his house to enable him give his own testimony.
Atsuwete said: “The speaker is ready to come and give his testimony but his concern is his security, and the personal security attached to him has been withdrawn. The danger this is posing might make it impossible for him to appear.”
There was no reaction from the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police command, Angela Agabe why Mbu shunned the commission, as she didn’t pick her call.
But it may not be unconnected to the disagreement between the police in Rivers and Amaechi, who has repeatedly accused Mbu of working against the interest of the state. Amaechi has failed in his bid for the redeployment of Mbu, whose men are still in the premises of Obio Akpor council secretariat despite a court order to remove them.
The Governor has written to the IGP, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar on the matter, but Mbu remains in charge in the state.
It would be recalled that the IGP, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar recently shunned Amaechi when he visited Port Harcourt, the state capital, forcing the state government of accusing the IGP of taking sides in the current political crisis rocking the state.
The IGP was in the state to commission the 100 Prado Jeeps donated by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to the police commands in the nine Niger Delta states.
