The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly warned against any reliance on Wednesday’s judgement of a federal high court, nullifying the takeover by the National Assembly of the functions of the Rivers House of Assembly, to perpetrate any mayhem or unconstitutional acts in Rivers State.
In a statement issued in Osogbo on Thursday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also warned the police and other security agencies not to provide cover for renegades to engage in any illegality, saying their role must be to ensure the safety and security of all legislators if and when the house decides to sit.
It said there is no doubt that the six legislators opposed to Gov. Chibuike Amaechi will try to hide under the cover of the judgementย to convene the Assemblyย with the sole purpose of removing the Speaker as a prelude to impeaching the State Governor, butย warned that any such act will constitute anย illegality and trigger a cataclysmic reaction, the end result of whichย no one can predict.
”The sixย legislators opposed to Gov. Amaechi do not and cannot form a quorum (9ย members) that will even allow the House to convene legally, notย to talkย of at least 20 members – representing two third majority – that canย constitutionally impeach the Speaker. In a house of 32 members, there is no way six members can be more than 26, even under the warpedย arithmetic which the Jonathan Administration has been conjuring inย recent times to back the losing faction of the Nigerian Governors’ย Forum.
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”However, we are aware that the renegadeย legislators, with the clear backing of President Goodluck Jonathan, have nothing but disdain for constitutionality and the rule of law, henceย will have no qualms about carrying out any act of impunity.
”We are therefore constrained to warn, in the strongestย possible terms, that we in the APC will take any impunity in Rivers asย an impunity to all, and will vehementlyย resist such with a spontaneousย explosion of people power not only in states under our control butย across the country,” APC said.
Urging the police not to allow themselves to be used toย perpetrate violence and chaos, the party said already, the Policeย Commissionerย in Rivers has ordered that all roads leading to the Houseย of Assembly complex in Port Harcourt be barricaded, perhaps as a prelude to escorting theย renegade members to convene to illegally remove theย Speaker.
To President Jonathan, APC said he must not allowย personal and partisan considerations to blot out his responsibility asย the father of theย nation and put in jeopardy his constitutional role ofย ensuring the country’s unity.
”We are aware of the letter to President Jonathan byย former President Olusegun Obasanjo virtually accusing the President ofย destroying the same nation he was elected to preside over and uplift. We hope he will not allow Obasanjo’s prognosis about him to come true soย soon by backing any move that can plunge Nigeria into chaos.
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”This is because we in the APC have resolved neverย to sit by and allow anyone, no matter how highly placed, to engage inย actions that willย make our country a laughing stock and a pariah in theย comity of nations. Therefore, there will be no peace anywhere in theย country if thisย Federal Government supports the perpetration of impunity in Rivers. This is not a threat, but the sure consequences of any actsย of impunity,”ย it said
The party called on all people of goodwill, especiallyย past leaders, to prevail on President Jonathan to back off the renegadeย MPs who are hellย bent on causing mayhem in Rivers.
Meanwhile, the party has described Wednesday’s court ruling as bizarre andย alarming, against the background of the massive mayhem that wasย unleashed in the Riversย House of Assembly last July.
It wondered why the court will say there were no factsย that the House of Assembly could not carry out its functions, with theย Mace as well as severalย heads broken and the hallowed chambersย desecrated by a free-for-all that was watched all around the world.
”What else must occur before the stipulated conditionsย can prevail for the National Assembly to take over the functions of theย Rivers House ofย Assembly? Is it when MPs are slaughtered like rams thatย such a condition will be deemed to have prevailed?
”We are astonished and concerned by this court ruling,ย especially coming shortly after we warned the judiciary not to allowย itself to be used byย unscrupulous people to reverse the gains that haveย been recorded under the present Chief Justice of Nigeria, who hasย embarked on determined and sincere efforts toย clean up the judiciary,”ย APC said.
