GAMJI
The Opposition Parties And Instrument Of Persecution In Rivers State
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Chapter six
Sections 221 to 229 stipulates on the formation of political parties
which must acts and objectives must conform with the provisions of
Chapter two that creates the fundamental obligations, political and
social objectives of governance that must be rooted in Chapter four of
the constitution that dwells on the fundamental Rights of Nigerians -
the freedom of expression and the press, Right to freedom to peaceful
assembly and association, Right to freedom from discrimination, Right
on Restriction on and derogation from fundamental rights. With these
provisions of the constitution therefore in a young multi-party
democracy like that of Nigeria the relevance and importance of
opposition parties need not be overemphasized. That is why those that
fashioned our constitution deemed it wise to include the existence and
functions of the opposition parties as stated in the provisions of the
constitution above. For the mere fact that we have over fifty
political parties in Nigeria makes it imperative that all these
parties can not be in power at the same time. One of the major
functions of the opposition parties in any democratic set-up therefore
is to provide alternative policy, plans or action to the policies and
actions of the government in power. But the happenings in Rivers State
these days portrays the sitting government either ignorant of these
facts or they are just trying to be mischievous.
Without or rather because of lack of any credible opposition force or
political party these past eight years in Rivers State a despot was
created out of the once unassuming and humble Peter Odili which was
never envisaged by our people and this act gave birth to the
highhandedness and iron-fisted administration that was our lots these
past eight years in Rivers State. If not for the types of Amaechi,
Tonye Princewill who knows, Sir Celestine Omehia may have bettered and
improved on the record of the draconian administration of the past
eight years which remains one of the biblical reports of King Rehoboam
on the use of scorpion to whipping the people of Israel. (1 King
chapter 12 verses 10-11) 'My little finger is thicker than my father's
waist!; Yes my father (Odili) laid heavy burden on you (Rivers
people), but I am going to make them even heavier!; My father beat you
with whips but I will beat you with scorpions!'. But sadly, Omehia is
no longer using scorpion which may have being a bit tolerable by our
people in Rivers State but with death and misery!
Today it is an anathema, stigma and taboo to be in opposition in
Rivers State or have a contrary view to that of the State Government
of Sir Celestine Omehia. It is either threat to maim or wipe out
majority key actors of the opposition or use the instrument of State
or persecution through unleashing the law enforcement operatives on
opponents or their offices or houses will be targeted for demolition
etc
It sounds like a fairy tale when at the tail end of Sir Odili's
administration that the members of the family of the former Speaker of
Rivers State House of Assembly Hon Rotimi Amaechi were thrown to the
streets based on the order on them by the then Governor Odili to
vacate the house being processed through the monetization policy of
Federal Government that states that Government Functionaries are free
to purchase their official residential houses at the end of their
tenure in office. This order was effected just because Amaechi wants
to enforce his fundamental human rights by instituting legal action
against an unjust treatment meted to him by his so called benefactors
in PDP but forgotten that in a kingdom where the Emperor holds sway, a
subject does not enjoy such a liberty.
When it becomes obvious that Engr. Tonye Princewill has proven himself
as a political force in the State one Col. Jumbo was sent to wipe him
and his entire Campaign Team out from the surface of earth if he fails
to withdraw his case from the Election Tribunal against Sir Celestine
Omehia. Tonye and his Team are still alive today by the grace of God
and probably the way the public was alerted of this evil plot through
their friends in the media.
Chief Ogbonna Nwuke the Publisher of the famous Telegraph Newspaper
was a jolly good fellow until he decided to commit suicide by
accepting to be the spokesperson of the dreaded Chief Rotimi Amaechi;
It was then that the powers that are feels that he can no longer be
the Chairman of Rivers Independent Publishers Association (RIVPA) and
have to be made to resin from an office he was only elected barely
three months ago.
The facts attest that the idea behind the construction of a shopping
mall in Rivers State is targeted at destroying the office complex of
one of the former Speaker's Lawyers for daring to render legal
services to an enemy of the State (Amaechi) and that the idea of the
threat to demolish the waterfronts using the security situation in the
State as a ploy is targeted against rendering homeless without any
form of compensation a certain tribe and the Fishermen in the State
for supporting and voting for the opposition parties during the last
April's election which was later manipulated by INEC and PDP in the
State to their favour not necessarily to flushed out criminals and
militants as the public were meant to believe as majority of the
people residing at the waterfronts are neither criminals or militants
but poor innocent people which visionless administration of the past
wasted eight years forced to stay in slums in a State Capital of the
status of Port- Harcourt. The example of the case of Rambo Town in
2002 where those dislodged are still biting their fingers as nothing
serious has being done to reconstruct the demolished Rainbow Town
after five years as the latest ploy. What an irony? Must we enact laws
or embark upon projects in order to get even and maim the opposition
in the State. Today, the State owned media Organs (RSTV, Radio Rivers
and Tide Newspaper) have all being instructed not carry out any news
items from the opposition.
The opposition in the State are meant to understand that for some INEC
officials to have disclosed to them that only ten people wrote the
result of the last gubernatorial election in Rivers State; a serious
restructuring will soon be embarked on the State INEC by the INEC
Headquarters to flush out those perceived to have linked the
information to the Opposition parties in the State.
Today, self appointed Care-Taker Local Government Council Chairmen has
being directed to use public fund to sponsor advertorial and articles
against some selected elders of Niger Delta for expressing their
constitutional rights by speaking on what they perceive as a way out
of the quagmire Sir Celestine Omehia and his cohorts have put a once
peaceful State in order to continue the operation 'destroy the
opposition in Rivers State'
Today, the opposition in Rivers State is not only ostracized from the
affairs of the State but are stigmatized and treated as second
citizens in their own State. Neither is the opposition consulted,
carried along nor invited to the Stake-holders meeting to sort out the
problems created by the last administration in the State which they
are rightly entitled to as citizens of Rivers State.
The administration of Sir Celestine Omehia has sworn to cow and muzzle
the opposition in the State in order to continue from where the former
Emperor ends. Today the opposition are being told that instruction has
being passed that no known opposition member in the State should
benefit in any government gesture be it pilgrimage, contracts or
scholarship thereby alienating these vibrant groups and denying them
their rights as citizens of Rivers State because of obnoxious policies
that contradicts all the known provisions of the constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria as stated above.
Information abounds that the few weeks from now it will be very hard
for any opposition member in the State to survive as every step will
be used including using the EFCC and other security operatives in the
State to intimidate and harass them to the extent that they will
regret ever joining politics to join issues with the political dynasty
of Emperor Peter Odili.
The only hope for the opposition and the people of Rivers State is
that present administration in Rivers State under Sir Celestine Omehia
is that the administration is just an interim government and will
surely be flushed out either by the Supreme Court or the Election
Tribunal so that a credible and independent-minded personality will be
duly elected by the people of Rivers State instead of the foisted Sir
Celestine Omehia in a fraudulent election widely and variously
condemned by both the European Union, Local and International Election
Monitoring units.
It is sad that Omehia's administration has only brought misery and
deaths to the people of Rivers State since his inception as the
Governor of Rivers State and funny enough, the government will soon
out roll out the drums in their characteristic manner to celebrate 100
Days of looting of the common patrimony and killing of people of
Rivers State.- What a great feat?
By
Eze Chukwuemeka Eze
mediaconsultanttpcorivers_07@yahoo.co.uk,
mediaconsultanttpcorivers_07261@gmail.come
Eze Chukwuemeka Eze
is a Media Consultant based in Port-Harcourt
