The plot to remove Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi
seems to be gathering more stream, following a meeting in Lagos yesterday.
Sources said that a deposed
governor, a minister, a senator and other top Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
leaders flew into Lagos by a presidential jet to strategise on the plan.
Details of the meeting were unknown,
but a source said it was to explore the lagal option to get Amaechi out of
office.
There is tension in Rivers State,
following the Court of Appeal’s ruling that Celestine Omehia, the former All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate, could challenge the
ruling of the High Court that Amaechi’s first term ended on May 29, 2011. The
governor is challenging the ruling at the Supreme Court, which has fixed the
hearing for November 11.
Pro-Amaehi forces have alleged plans
by certain PDP leaders to remove the governor. Now, they are alleging that
“certain powerful forces” want to influence the court’s decision against the
governor to get rid of him politically. It has been difficult to impeach
Amaechi, since the National Assembly took over the polarised and crisis-ridden
Rivers State House of Assembly.
The legal option, sources said,
became an attractive route to explore by the anti-Amaechi forces, who have
assured the PDP leadership that the governor could be nailed at either the
Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court.
Amaechi is challenging the decision
of the Court of Appeal to join Omehia in the matter. But, another politician,
Cyprian Chukwu, had initiated the substantive case to determine when the tenure
of the governor began, following a time-table by the Electoral Commission in
2010 for the governorship elections in the state in August, 2011.
He argued that since the Supreme
Court had in 2007 ruled that it was the PDP that won the April governorship
poll that year, Amaechi’s tenure should start counting on May 29 of the same
year, and not October 26 when he was sworn in, after taking over from Omehia.
However, the Felix Obuah-led PDP
Executive Committee has called Amaechi not to drag the Supreme Court into
politics by misinterpreting its decision on matters before it. According to the
party, Amaechi’s interpretation and information on the October 3 decision of
the Supreme Court did not reflect the true position of the apex court.
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Politics