Amaechi responsible for political violence in Rivers –Secondus

The deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Uche  Secondus has blamed the spate of political violence in  the Rivers State on  governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi.

The campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside, held in Okrika, the hometown of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, was disrupted last Tuesday with gunfire and explosions leaving a police officer dead and many APC faithful injured.

Speaking with newsmen on the scary political development in the State, the deputy national chairman of the ruling party, accused Governor Amaechi of instigating political crisis in the state.

Secondus who is an indigene of Rivers State alleged that the crisis in the state assembly and the judiciary were orchestrated by  Governor Amaechi, in order to cripple other arms of government and emerge as a sole administrator.

Secondus said: “The crisis in Rivers State is Amaechi. You journalists should go and investigate. He shut down the courts, he shut down the state assembly and he is now the sole administrator and maximum leader and the people are resisting. Salaries aren’t paid as at when due, the state fund is being taken away to sponsor Buhari. Our jet is now owned by Buhari. Where in this world is it done that people are happy? “So, all the news of crisis is being generated by Amaechi, because he has lost the state and he sustains himself on the pages of newspapers. Take for instance, the National Assembly here if they have disagreement, and the President moves from Villa to the NationalAssembly and be a partaker in what is going on there. But the governor of Rivers State who is the architect of  the crisis moved from government house to House of Assembly and took  side.  You people should do your investigation and report accurately. Tell him to stop.’’

On the Okrika incident, the PDP deputy national chairman further alleged that it was  a fall out of the internal crisis in the state chapter of the APC.

“The Okrika matter that you talked about, it is APC versus APC, but Amaechi is orchestrating it as if it is PDP even bringing the name of the wife of the President. Governor Amaechi has insulted the intelligence of the Rivers people. He is now permanently based in Lagos, in fact, the government of Rivers State has collapsed, because Amaechi is no longer governing. What is important to him now as a Director General is how APC will win and he has abandoned governance, because when the State Assembly doors are closed, judiciary which is the third arm of government is locked down, then where is the government?

“Have you seen in this country, where a governor would present a budget one day and an hour after, that budget is approved? Is that not a shame? And the man will come on air and says he is a democrat.  You people know the facts and you aren’t reporting it!”

On the reservations by the APC against the deployment of soldiers for the forthcoming general elections, Secondus noted that the  APC’s aversion to military deployment was informed by what he called its sinister motive to perpetrate violence after its defeat at the polls.

“It isn’t new, it has been done before, soldiers aren’t involved in elections, but they are kept in strategic places to safeguard the nation. Whoever that is afraid of the security provided by the army or the police and want to have their own private army to conduct the election, is the one that wants to throw this country into crisis. Don’t forget that the United States has predicted that there would be no country in 2015, God forbid. The PDP supports the government to make sure that Nigerians are secured.Remember what happened in the First Republic, “wild, wild west.’’ No one is ready for that.  The APC said the soldiers were used in Ekiti, they weren’t used.  The report from the election monitors showed clearly that it was free and transparent.”

The soldiers were never found at the polling booth but they were strategically located for the unforeseen.’’