Defection: I Will Consult President Jonathan First, Amaechi Tells APC Leaders

Gov. Amaechi with APC leaders in Port Harcourt 

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State today told leaders of the All Progressive Congress that he was going to consult President Goodluck Jonathan before taking a decision on whether to defect to their party or not.

Mr. Amaechi made the statement in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State, when he hosted the APC officials at an open ground in Government House. He added that he would also consult other political figures from the zone, since the president comes from there.
The governor stated that he was peculiar among the seven aggrieved governors of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, adding that he would take his decision soon.
“Anytime I’m going to take a decision on this, it will be done at the stadium, which has the capacity to seat 40,000 people. We are going to consult our leaders,” said Mr. Amaechi. He added: “Among our leaders is President Goodluck Jonathan. I'm going to consult him and other leaders.”
Governor Amaechi and Mr. Jonathan have been engaged in a simmering political feud that has led to the withdrawal of the governor's security detail, the grounding of a jet owned by the Rivers State government, his suspension from the PDP, and police restriction of his movement in his state capital, Port Harcourt. Some associates of President Jonathan accuse the governor of secretly collaborating with political elements from the northern part of Nigeria who are determined to unseat Mr. Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election.
Governor Amaechi stated today that it was unfortunate that many of those on the side of the President were hungry and had no option but to ditch him since he refused to run what they called inclusive government.
“Inclusive government, according to them, is sharing of money,” he said.
In his address, the acting national chairman of the APC, Bisi Akande, described Governor Amaechi as a courageous man who, despite the persecution he was receiving from the Federal Government, had remained steadfast.
“How do we explain a situation in which a State Governor is being prevented from accessing his official residence by the police who should take orders from him?” asked Mr. Akande. He added: “Where is it done that a State Governor cannot receive visitors, including fellow State Governors, without being tear-gassed and humiliated by the police? Or how does one justify a situation in which armed thugs backed by the police attack lawmakers in the hallowed chambers of the State House of Assembly?
“Amaechi has been enduring these and other indignities, without wilting under fire! His plane has been grounded under flimsy, cooked-up excuses! They felt they have clipped his wings, but he is soaring even higher.
“What is his offence? Standing up for the defense of democracy and the Constitution; leading his fellow Governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors' Forum to reject creeping dictatorship.
“But because he provided good leadership, because he has the support of his colleagues in the NGF and because his cause is just, he has prevailed over his adversaries, and he stands taller than his physique.
“Because he stands as a bulwark against those who wanted to annihilate democracy and cripple governance, the plan to extend the anarchy in Rivers State to other states of the Federation has failed.
“That is why we called him an epitome of courage. We salute your courage under fire, your tenacity under an endless assault and your commitment to unfettered freedom for all citizens.
“Since the leaking umbrella can no longer protect you from the vagaries of harsh weather, we ask you to jump on the APC train that will take Nigeria to the Promised Land.”