President Goodluck Jonathan not involved in Rivers Assembly crisis- Presidency

The Presidency on Wednesday vehemently stated that President Goodluck Jonathan was not behind political crisis rocking the Rivers State House Assembly as insinuated by the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.

Addressing as press conference in Abuja, The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs Dr. Doyin Okupe said, “the call by the Action Congress of Nigeria for the impeachment of Mr. President based on these frivolous, unsubstantiated allegations is the limit of tolerable nonsense and a clear descent into inglorious political rascality.

Dr. Okupe said the reaction of the ACN to the event in the Rivers State House of Assembly as contained in a Press release issued by the party’s publicity secretary calls for concern by all patriotic Nigerians.

The ACN statement blamed Mr President for the crisis and accused him of abhorrence for the rule of law, and supporting a group of Rivers state Assembly members to disrupt proceedings in the House.

While condemning the position of the party on the matter, he noted that it is increasingly obvious that the desperation of the ACN to bullishly acquire power by all means and at all cost, including mindless precipitation of anarchy, disaffection and break down of public order is the driving force behind their incessant, irresponsible and unpatriotic politics of hate and deceit and their high propensity to fan the embers of national discord, disunity and social disorder.

Dr. Okupe pointed out that “once again, this position of the ACN is another condemnable, extremist and fundamentally flawed position by the opposition party”.

He maintained that, “for the avoidance of doubt and at the risk of repetitiveness, we wish to state categorically that in spite of what the ACN will want the Nigerian people to believe, President Goodluck Jonathan is absolutely unconnected and definitely not involved in the political crisis that seemed to have engulfed Rivers State in recent times”.

According to the Presidential Aide, “the President is not, has not and will never engineer any act that can cause disaffection between Governor Rotimi Amaechi or any other Governor and the state legislature or any other institution of government.

He insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan has not shown himself as a person who will deploy his immense constitutional powers against any governor or democratic institution pointing out that since his election as President, “his personal and official mien reveals a personality that has utmost and distinct respect for democracy and rule of law”.