The Rivers State chapter of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, has expressed
worry over the life of the governor of
Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, days after
the State Security Service, SSS, issued him a
warning over his public utterances.
The SSS had on Tuesday warned Mr.
Amaechi and other politicians against
making inflammatory statements ahead of
the February elections, saying such
statements would no longer be tolerated.
The warning came after the governor’s
remarks justifying the decision of some
soldiers to protest their lack of equipment in
the fight against Boko Haram terrorists.
The APC, in a statement by its chairman,
Davies Ikanya, on Friday, said the SSS
warning might be a prelude to the arrest
and possible trial of Mr. Amaechi, who is
the Director General of the Muhammadu
Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation.
Stating that the action of the organisation
was “totally unacceptable,” the party said
the governor’s fate, if detained, might not
be different from that of the presumed
winner of the 1993 presidential election,
Moshood Abiola, who died in detention in
1998.
“We have every reason to be worried about
the safety of our dear Governor in view of
the lessons of history, especially with regard
to the late Chief MKO Abiola, who was
unjustifiably detained, only to die under
mysterious circumstances while in
government custody,” it said.
“We are, therefore, reluctant to dismiss
reports in various media outlets suggestive
of a threat to the life of Governor Amaechi
in connection with his current assignment
as Director General of General Muhammadu
Buhari Presidential Campaign
Organisation.”
The APC described the action of the SSS as
“an attempt to give a dog a bad name in
order to hang it.”
It argued that there was nothing inciting,
unguarded or treasonable in Mr. Amaechi’s
statement, stating he was merely expressing
his views on the factors militating against
the success of the Federal Government’s
war against Boko Haram insurgents in the
North Eastern part of the country.
It explained that the governor merely
blamed the challenges on corruption in the
military hierarchy and not on inadequate
funding as the public is made to believe.
“It is unfortunate that, rather than accept
the challenge of fighting corruption, the
Federal Government has chosen to ignore
the message and go after the messenger,”
the party said.
The APC warned that nothing should happen
to Mr. Amaechi for patriotically exercising
his freedom of speech as a citizen of Nigeria
in line with the Constitution of the country.
The party added, “We understand why the
sinking PDP-controlled Presidency is
resorting to intimidation as it has read the
handwriting on the wall in the countdown
to the 2015 presidential polls.
“We, however, wish to make it clear that
both Gov Amaechi and his supporters will
not be cowed but remain resolute in leading
the struggle to uproot PDP from the Aso
Presidential Villa as the first step towards
salvaging Nigeria from the doldrums
occasioned by the inept 16-year
maladministration of PDP.”
It said Nigerians were yearning for change
and they it would give them that change by
ensuring that the PDP-led government was
peacefully voted out come 2015.
The APC said, “If any of our security
agencies need to arrest anybody, they
should start with associates of President
Goodluck Jonathan, particularly Chief Femi
Fani-Kayode, President Jonathan’s
Campaign Director of Media and Dr. Doyin
Okupe, the President’s Aide on Public
Affairs, who has being making inciting and
unguarded statements both against the
vision of APC and our presidential
candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, whose
well-known stand on corruption has sent
cold shivers down the spine of the present
corrupt leadership in Aso Rock.
“We wish to assure Gov. Amaechi that he
has nothing to be afraid of, as God, who has
in the past years protected him despite the
evil machinations of the PDP and the
Presidency, will surely see him through this
time around and protect him from every
danger as he leads the patriotic battle to
rescue Nigeria and Nigerians from the vice
grip of PDP through the instrumentality of
the ballot box.”
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