Rivers Crises: Amaechi’s Capacity As Chief Security Officer Is Being Undermined — Abe

Sen. Magnus Ngei Abe represents Rivers South East Senatorial District of Rivers state in the Senate. In this interview with Ruth Choji, the lawmake declares that there are some people who are desperate to teach Governor Amaechi a lesson. Abe also warned that the crisis is undermining the capacity of the governor as the chief security officer of the state.

How did River State get to the stage where it is right now?

There are people who are end on destabilising the state in the belief of teaching the governor a lesson, which is what this whole thing is about.

 

Are you saying that the governor didn’t offend anybody?

You go and asked those who are doing.

 

What has been the impact of this crisis in the state?

It’s been a very traumatic experience for the state; a lot of things in the state have undergone a great reversal. River state has invested more in security than any state in the country and it has been able to achieve more in terms of maintaining   security and law and order. This crisis has made it difficult for the security  apparatus to  focus on the constitutional mandate.it has also undermine the capacity of the governor to act as the chief security officer of the state.it is distorting a lot of what is already on ground.

The fall out of the crises has result in the return of all the criminal elements that has hitherto stayed out of the state, a long time they have kept a low and respectful profile, now they are all in full storm so to speak and that has have very serious consequences on the security of the estate, That is a very major concern for everybody.

 

What does this portent for the nascent democracy?

I really think that we as leaders and politicians actually have to remind ourselves that we need to play by the rules. If we don’t respect our own rules out of convenient, or if in the pursuit of our goals, we don’t allow the fear of God then the chances are that, we are going to have a rough time as a country.

 

Apart from the senate that has sent a committee to mediate in the crises, has the PDP as a party tried to intervene?

They have suspended the governor.

 

There were reports that some governor who went to pay your governor a solidary visit were stones at the airport. What actually happen?

First I wasn’t there and I got the report exactly the way you got them, since then I have tried to speak to one or two people In the  state and I am actually disturb by the reports I get from the state I know that traditionally, Rivers people are known to  be hospitable  and welcoming goof all visitors. I will have thought that with all our differences and all our politics, with visitors, the least we can do is to have made them welcome, allow them to go on their visit and go back in peace.

To allow what could have been an internal problem to take an international dimension is totally scary because, if anything had happen to any of the visiting governors, the story wouldn’t have been as easy as it is now, it would have consequence for the country. What is worrisome for me is the fact that, with all these things going on, the entire security apparatus seems to be totally helpless.it is quite disturbing.

 

Most people have attributed the crises to Governor Amaechi’s ambition in  2015, If this is true, do you think if the governor shelve his ambition, peace will be restored in the state?

First of all this governor’s ambition we have been hearing about, what is it all about? Secondly, this is democracy, and people have rights. So if the governor has ambition, will you now destroy the state because he has ambition? Is he not qualified? Doesn’t he have the right to contest for any position just like another person? So do you justify the kind of things that are going on in Rivers state because of the governor’s ambition? I don’t understand how somebody can justify that.so supposing I have ambition to become senate president, the senate president will not make life miserable for me in the senate, he won’t let me say anything again in the chambers, he won’t let me come to work or allow people to beat me.

That is not proper. Let him do his homework and when I come to the chambers, others can vote me out, which is the democratic thing to do. I don’t see any reason why this high handedness should be employed just because the governor has an ambition. I don’t see that as democratic or a reasonable or cultured response to that kind of situation. Secondly the governor to the best of my knowledge, he has not told anybody that he has an ambition or that his disagreement with other power strong point in the country is because of ambition. There were issues between the state and federal government which he championed and the issue of the chairman of governor’s forum where his colleague re-elected him to be chairman.

I think that in a democracy, even if groundnut sellers gather and decide to elect you as their chairman, all the professor in Nigeria should respect their choice of the groundnut sellers. Just because they are groundnut sellers does not mean they cannot chair their meeting or somebody rule for them. If we have decency in all conduct of our political affairs, we will make the problem a non-issue.

 

South/South have always been united when it comes to issues, why have the leaders become silent over this issue?

I don’t you know who you are calling leaders of the south/south, so if you know them, then maybe you can take this issue and asked them. But what I know is that, well-meaning people whether they are from the south/south or anywhere learn their voice and see that it doesn’t degenerate further in the interest of the country. I am more worried about Nigeria than I am about anything else because these are not positive signs.

 

Coming back to the PDP, are you worried about what is happening in the party lately?

I think that anybody who is a member of the PDP should be worried and I think that anybody who means well for the party should be worried. This is not the kind of crises that you promote before elections…

 

What does this portend for the party?

I don’t want to comment on that, but as a member of the party, my prayer is that whatever our differences are, we should try to create room for members because we are a family. I don’t care what the issue might be, I am a politician, nobody took another person’s wife, nobody stole another person land, nobody kidnap anybody’s child, we are wall playing politics and the truth of the matter in Nigeria, as we all know is to try and resolve the issue.as we go forward, approaching an election year, nobody should say that another person is not important. Talking about this one should leave the party and that one do that is not good for us. We have to bring ourselves together for the common success of the party.

Coming back to the senate, Nigerians were surprised when the senate voted against full autonomy for local government…

We voted electronically, every senator has one vote, you can only speak on the outcome, but you cannot say why most of the senators cast their vote the way they cast it, the sum result of all our votes is that there is no local government autonomy. I voted because our constitution provides that Nigeria is a federation and it has federating units, the local government are not a federating unit. I actually think that each state should go and create the type of local government it wants and the local administration it wants. We keep treating this country as if it is a uniting country, because something happen in RIVERS, IT must be done in Kano state or Oyo.

In a federation, the federating unit do things in a way that suits them and suits their locality.it is only in Nigeria that local government must be in the constitution, everything must be the same. If you have teaching commission in Adamawa, you must have it in kwara; that is not a federation, so I voted against it. We want Nigeria to be a proper federation.