Reps Express Shock Over Suspension

Some members of the House of Representatives on Monday expressed shock over the suspension of Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party.


While some described the development as "laughable", the Minority Leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, said it showed that the PDP was "desperate" to hold on to power beyond 2015.

However, there were lawmakers, who played safe, preferring not to be "caught in the crossfire between the heavyweights in the PDP."

A PDP member of the House, Mr. Sokonte Davies, said he could not understand why the party would penalise Amaechi because he "won" the election to be the chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum.

Davies expressed fears that the suspension of Amaechi could create more problems than the PDP was prepared to solve.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, he added, "It is unfortunate that this is the only time I have heard that somebody is punished for winning.

"If canvassing the support of his colleagues is a crime,why is the defeated, anointed candidate not equally suspended since he has opposition members, like (Governor) Peter Obi, who supported him?

"I think that this action has made the party to become opprobrious to the generality of the country.

"In fact, I am yet to believe that the story is true.

"If it is true, then all the denials that the main purpose of the Rivers State crisis is not to chase Amaechi and his supporters from the party have turned out to be lies."

Gbajabiamila, a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria, stated that the action of the party exposed the desperation of the PDP and its government.

He said, "It tells you how low a government will go when desperate.

"This is an accidental government. There is supposed to be an art and a science to governance but this one possesses neither.

"First, it's the state assembly members that were purportedly suspended, and now its the governor.

"They are all jokers."

Similarly, another PDP lawmaker, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, observed that democracy was still facing serious challenges in the country.



Punch