THE
political war raging between the Rivers State Governor and the Presidency
deepened, yesterday, with the presidency describing Governor Rotimi Amaechi as
a rascal and warning him to stop insulting President Goodluck Jonathan or be
ready to face the consequences of his utterances, including legal actions.
In
a statement in Abuja, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity,
Dr Reuben Abati said Amaechi’s penchant to insult the president and denigrate
the office was an “irresponsible and rascally behaviour” which he said reached
a new level in Port-Harcourt last Saturday.
At
an event marking seven years of his victory at the Supreme Court on Saturday,
Amaechi made series of allegations against the president and the First Lady,
Dame Patience Jonathan, who he accused of fomenting trouble because he
refused to share the resources of Rivers State with her.
However,
in a strongly worded statement, Dr. Abati cautioned Amaechi to stop
blackmailing the first lady as the only thing she demands from him is ”good
governance, justice, equity, fairness, real development and progress in Rivers
State” and not money as Amaechi claimed.
Presidency
blasts Amaechi
The
statement read: “Governor Rotimi Amaechi took his obnoxious willingness to
denigrate the highest office in the land in a reckless bid to advance his
selfish political interests to a new level of irresponsible and rascally
behaviour yesterday (Saturday) in Port Harcourt with his totally false and
baseless vituperations against President Jonathan, the First Lady and the
Federal Government.
“It
appears from the governor’s completely unfounded and off-the-mark allegations
that he had totally lost all sense of propriety, decorum and responsible
political behaviour and resorted to unacceptable demagoguery, libel, blackmail
and incitement of public disorder.
“Unless
his unbridled ambition and desire for self- promotion have completely befuddled
his mental faculties and caused him to totally lose touch with reality,
Governor Amaechi must know that his claims and allegations are untrue.
“We
can only assume therefore that he is deliberately spewing malicious falsehood
in a desperate effort to incite the people of Rivers State and Nigeria against
his assumed political foes.
“We
warn him that there are legal, constitutional and moral limits to political
rascality beyond which he will not be allowed to go without repercussions.
“The
immunity which he currently enjoys notwithstanding, Governor Amaechi should be
under no illusions: A day of reckoning will surely come when he will
answer for all his actions and false allegations against President Jonathan,
the First Lady and the Federal Government.
“He
should also know that Nigerians are aware of the truth and will never be fooled
or swayed by his arrant opportunism and anti-Jonathan rantings.
“Nigerians
know that while Mr. Amaechi falsely accuses others of corruption, he cannot
show or explain to the people of Rivers State what he has done with the billions
of Naira that has accrued to the state under his tenure. They also know that
while Amaechi continues to falsely accuse the Jonathan Administration of having
done nothing for Rivers State, he has recklessly squandered huge state
resources on dubious, vain-glorious projects or self aggrandizement.
“Nigerians
will know too that while he falsely alleges that Rivers and other states have
not received funds due to them from the Federation account, the only
outstanding allocation was for September, which was released to all states well
over a week ago.
“The
Governor should stop trying to make President Jonathan the scapegoat for his
woeful performance in Rivers State and look to his own very apparent failings
and incompetencies.
“He
should also stop blackmailing the First Lady who has demanded nothing from him
other than good governance, justice, equity, fairness, real development and
progress in Rivers State”.
FG
fraustrating my efforts — Amaechi
At
the Port Harcourt rally, last Saturday, Amaechi, who spoke on some of his
achievements since he came on board, accused the Federal Government of
frustrating his effort to provide potable water for Port Harcourt.
“We
were to give Port Harcourt water. As I am talking to you, the Minister of
Finance has refused to move the file back to the executive council for approval
so that you can have water. They don’t care for you. Punish PDP with your
vote”, he said.
Amaechi
lashed out at the Federal Government, saying it had failed the people in
several areas. “They said the reason the President is not performing in Rivers
is because he is quarrelling with the governor. Okay, what is the quarrel with
the governor of Cross River and Akwa Ibom that the road to Cross River is
abandoned? Are they quarrelling too? It is more of lack of performance.”
The
governor accused the President of taking some oil wells belonging to Rivers,
adding that he did not encourage the state effectively to fight Ebola when it
broke out in the state. “When Ebola broke out, to show you how much the President
hates us, he visited Lagos. Did he visit us? He did not care. He wanted all of
us to die. And I took it as a challenge and say none of us will die. I brought
out money. It took the President at the end of Ebola to give us ordinary 200
million naira. I released one billion, one hundred and six million naira to
fight Ebola. See our airport. The President lands there. We are like refugees”,
he said.
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