Security Beefs-Up Around Jonathan

Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State (right), and his erstwhile Bayelsa State counterpart, Chief Diepreye Alamieyesigha (centre) listening to Senator Lee Meiba, during the Mock Assembly session for the slain former Rivers State Assembly member, Hon. Charles Nsiegbe in Port Harcourt, yesterday before his burial. Photo:Chris Monyenaga.

As President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua continues to receive medical attention in Saudi Arabia, security around Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has been beefed up. This is coming in the wake of unconfirmed rumours that some interest groups, especially from North are routing for Vice President Jonathan’s resignation, for fear that he may step into the shoes of the president as provided for in the 1999 Constitution.

The Weekend Tide learnt that powerful Northern groups like the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Dr. Olusola Saraki-led Northern Union (NU) had met.

We learnt that these groups are not favourably disposed to seeing Jonathan’s possibly stepping into the president’s shoes since he is not from the North and would stop at nothing in ensuring that he does not succeed.

The Weekend Tide further learnt that the situation of Yar’Adua’s successor which is the constitutional right of the vice president necessitated by the deployment of more security men around the vice president.

The beefing-up of security around Vice President Jonathan was noticed on Wednesday at the commissioning of the state security Service (SSS) estate and hospital at Kuchingoro village  a suburb of Abuja along the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road which was performed by the Vice President.

Before now the heavy presence of security offers was usually reserved for the president.

The security details of Jonathan, according to a source who attended the event, swarmed the venue of the commissioning about an hour before the arrival of the vice president. Motorists coming from Gwagwalada along the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Expressway were stopped for several minutes to allow the Vice President’s convoy access the road leading to the estate.

Contacted, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Vice President, Ima Niboro, asked rhetorically, “has there not been security for the vice president before.”

Asked whether it was true that Jonathan had taken full charge of the affairs of the government, Jonathan’s Special Assistant retorted, “we stand by what the Federal Executive Council said on the issue and that is my response,” and will not elaborate.

Justus Awaji, Abuja