Rivers Crisis: Amaechi Moves to Stop Impeachment Bid

Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi,

* PDP probe panel calls for memorandum

By: Ernest Chinwo and Chuks Okocha

The crisis rocking Rivers State took a new dimension Tuesday as the embattled Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, approached a state High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, seeking to restrain the state House of Assembly from impeaching him.

Also Tuesday, a panel set up by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to probe the governor, who has been suspended for alleged anti-party activities called for memorandum as it began sitting to investigate the allegations against Amaechi.

The governor’s lawsuit came against the backdrop of  rumours doing the rounds that some of the 27 members of the state House of Assembly loyal to the governor may have defected.

THISDAY gathered that the governor made the move following alleged moves by the 32-member state House of Assembly to remove him from office.

Amaechi, was represented by his lawyer, I. Nwafor (SAN).

However, Justice George Omereji  adjourned hearing on the suit until June 18 following a counter-motion filed by counsel to the   assembly, Mr. Emenike Ebete.

Ebete argued that the suit was not necessary, as the assembly had no reason or motive to remove the governor from office.

He told journalists after the court session that the governor in the suit had raised fears that the five lawmakers opposed to him could illegally or unconstitutionally impeach him.

“He wants to put it on the record that any move to impeach him must be as specified by law and having the required number of lawmakers,” he said.

But the five lawmakers against Amaechi refused to be represented by the counsel to the assembly.

The five lawmakers, through their counsel, Chinwe Aguma, made an oral presentation before the court seeking an independent representation.

Aguma told the court that the interest of the five lawmakers was not in line with that of the speaker and the other lawmakers.

Another judge in the state judiciary, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, Tuesday threw out two ex-parte motions brought before him by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Otelemaba Amachree, against the Inspector-General of Police (IG) and Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone Six, Calabar.

Amachree 's first ex parte motion, brought through his counsel, Mr. Emmanuel John, sought the approval of the court to allow him to personally serve notices to the IG  and AIG in Abuja and Calabar  respectively while the second ex parte motion sought to restrain the police from arresting the speaker.

In his ruling, Enebeli said he threw out the two motions based on the argument of the counsel to the IG  and AIG, Mr. Donald Dem Wigwe (SAN) that he was adequately briefed by the respondents before he appeared in court.

He further said the two respondents were aware of the rule of law and would never violate it.

Meanwhile, the PDP probe panel  set up by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) has begun work with a call for memoranda from party members.

The committee, which will submit its recommendations to the NWC within 30 days from the date of its appointment, gave a seven-day deadline for the submission of memoranda.

The fact-finding committee, will among others,   investigate the allegations of anti-party activities levelled against Amaechi and any other party member in the state.

In another development, the crisis rocking the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Rivers State took a turn for the worse Tuesday as the party announced the suspension of its acting chairman, Mr. Esuku M. Esuku, for allegedly working with Amaechi.

In a statement signed by the state Secretary, Mr. Amonibia  Akoko, and Chairman of the Forum of Local Government Chairmen of the  party, Mr. Hope Onyeche, the party   accused Esuku of conniving with Amaechi to register people for the proposed opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), after agreeing to collect monthly subvention  from the governor.