Police Disperse Rivers Lawmakers; Fire Teargas, Live Ammunition …Rivers NASS Members Condemn Attack

An atmosphere of uncertainty engulfed the Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday as 24 lawmakers loyal to the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi were barred from entering the Assembly complex.

The pro-Amaechi legislators had converged at the Assembly complex preparatory to the commencement of plenary sequel to the Abuja Federal High Court ruling which declared as illegal the order of the National Assembly to take over the functions of the State Assembly.

The meeting was to be the first plenary in the House since the complex was sealed off last July following a fracas in the Assembly.

The Tide learnt that trouble started when the legislators resolved to carry out their business outside the complex, an action which caused the Police that stormed the complex to fire live ammunition and teargas canisters to disperse them.

In the ensuing melee in which many passers-by scampered for safety, several persons were said to have suffered injuries and some others taken to yet-to-be identified hospitals for medical attention.

It was gathered that the five anti-governor Amaechi lawmakers in the House had allegedly hatched a plot to impeach the governor yesterday if those loyal to him (Amaechi) did not go to the Assembly complex.

The source revealed that the five legislators were to be led into the complex by the Police to enable them declare the seats of the pro-Amaechi lawmakers vacant for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

But the pro-Amaechi lawmakers, the source further hinted, acting on a tip off, called for immediate sitting to foil the impeachment plot.

Reacting to the incident, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Leyii Kwanee said the lawmakers were on their way to putting things in order preparatory to the commencement of plenary as soon as possible, following Wednesday’s court ruling that the National Assembly had no right to take over the functions of the State Assembly.

Kwanee, who spoke to newsmen earlier before the dispersal at Mocow Road, said the legislators were barred from entering the Assembly, noting that “since there was no court ruling stopping members of the House from sitting, the Police had no right to stop us from carrying out our constitutional duties”.

He condemned the continued closure of the assembly in spite of a court ruling to re-open it.

He said as lawmakers, “we were voted to represent our people and we are ready to defend the mandate given to us by our constituencies”.

“We want to assure you that there is no going back; we are resolute and we are committed to this cause.

“If need be, we are ready to sacrifice our lives for this cause; we are committed to defend the democracy of Rivers people,” he said.

According to one of the lawmakers, Hon. Augustine Ngo, the legislators were at the Assembly to take inventory of properties and equipment destroyed in the wake of the infamous July 9 fracas on the floor of the House.

The lawmaker who represents Abua/Odual Constituency, said they had to leave after the Police fired teargas at them, even after much plea to let them have access to the Assembly, knowing that they had written a letter to the Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, informing him of their mission and seeking adequate security.

“We were over 20 members of the Assembly. We had to leave because we do not want direct confrontation with the Nigeria Police. We wanted to see what has happened to the House complex because after the July fracas nobody has been to the House, but the Police won’t let that be”.

In her reaction, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Ibim Semenitari, confirmed the invasion of the Assembly by policemen, decrying the level of “impunity ravaging the country.”

She said, “It is an indication of the impunity ravaging the country and a clear indication that the PDP, under the present leadership, has lost all forms of democratic conduct.

“They can’t even pretend to wear a mien of civility. Rather, they are practising jackboot governance and repression worse than we have ever seen under the military.” State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, could not be reached for comments.

The Commander of the Port Harcourt Area Command, Mr Aliyu Garba, told Newsmen that the command had not received an order from the court to re-open the assembly complex.

Garba said the police did not allow anybody into the complex because there was no order for the police to do so.

He said the role of the police was to avert the breakdown of law and order in the society.

Reacting to the comment made by Hon. Evans Bipi, that “he will resume duty as Speaker of the House”, Kwanee said, democracy has given all persons freedom of Speech, including irrelevant and unconstructed speeches from people like Hon. Bipi. He called on the public to disregard Bipi’s comments, saying that the legal structures of the state House of Assembly have not changed.

Hon. Kwanee said Rt. Hon. Otelemba Amaechree remains the Speaker of the House, while he (Kwanee) remains the deputy Speaker along with other House Officers who are still in charge of their various functions.

People running from teargas fired by policemen. Inset: A wounded passer-by holding his head amidst the commotion.