Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi has escaped what would have been an eye-catching student protest against him in London.
Seeing that the governor is to deliver a paper at the Chatham House on Reform and Resource Governance, some politicians loyal to his opponents recently visited a hospitalised member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Michael Okechukwu Chindah, in a London hospital, and then exploited the opportunity to attempt to instigate a London revolt against him.
They therefore approached and offered financial inducements to students of Rivers State origin studying in the UK, but they were shocked that the students turned the offer down.
The Rivers State politicians initially offered the leadership of the students a bribe of £1,500 (N375,000) during the meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel, Park Lane, London. But after the rejection, they then upped the bribe to £4,000 (N1m), which the students also rejected, saying they would not protest against Amaechi, whose scholarship they have enjoyed.
The bribe move filtered to the outside world after attempts to bribe some of the Rivers State students on Amaechi’s Special Overseas Scholarship. The students also rejected the offer but made sure not to keep mum on the matter.
Some of those who offered bribe are said to be a serving junior federal minister, a former deputy speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, a factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former a Commissioner for Finance.
In a related development, the embattled governor has urged a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt to restrain Chief Judge of the state from constituting any panel to investigate any notice of allegation presented by the House of Assembly, unless the request is in compliance with Sub-sections 2, 3 and 4 of Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
In the suit, the governor’s counsel, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) prayed for an order of the court setting aside any notice of allegation to initiate the removal proceedings of the state Assembly, conducted in connection with the conceived removal from office of the claimant by less than 22 members out of the 32 members constituting the state Assembly.
Similarly, he wants the court to void any removal from office conducted outside the Rivers State House of Assembly/Parliament building situate on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which is the official address of the state Assembly for the conduct of the official and legislative duties of the House.
He asked that any proceedings of the state House of Assembly, initiated by less than 11 members, which is one-third of members of the House and passed or conducted by less than 21 out of the 30 members of the House, which is two third of the members of the House in connection or in relation to the commencement of impeachment proceedings against the claimant be declared unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
Among his other prayers are “a declaration that in interpreting Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the phrase, members of the House of Assembly includes the members of the House of Assembly, who are on suspension from the House.
“That they are not excluded in the computation of either one-third or two-thirds majority of the members of the House of Assembly for the purpose of exercising the constitutional powers to remove the claimant from office as Governor of Rivers State pursuant to Subsections 2,4 and 9 of section 188 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.”
While Mr. Emanuel Ukala (SAN), counsel to the five renegade lawmakers applied to be joined in the suit, it was opposed by Mr. Olusola Dare, who represented Fagbemi (SAN).
Trial judge, Justice George Omereji adjourned the matter till July 30, for hearing.
