PDP, Speaker disagree over call for CP’s redeployment

 

Speaker, Rivers State House of the Assembly, Otelemaba Dan-Amachree
| credits: phctelegraphnews.com

THE River State chapter of the People Democratic Party and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Otelemaba Amachree, are currently at daggers-drawn over the call by the latter for the redeployment of the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu.

Amachree had alleged that Mbu was bias in handling the crisis in the state, citing the seal-off of Obio/Akpor Local Government secretariat as an example.

Amachree also alleged that rather than meet with the entire members of the House in order to ensure that peace reigned, the state police commissioner met with only five lawmakers without considering the need to speak with the other 27 legislators.

Not satisfied with the Speaker’s insistence on Mbu’s redeployment, the state PDP Chairman, Mr. Felix Obuah, asked Otelemaba to leave the police commissioner alone.

Obuah, described the call for the CP’s redeployment as baseless, malicious, reckless and another demonstration of legislative rascality.

Obuah, who spoke with newsmen in Port Harcourt, argued that rather than castigate Mbu, he (police commissioner) should be praised for his effort towards averting the breakdown of law and order in the state.

He described Mbu as a professional police officer, who had discharged his duties diligently and should not be dragged into partisan politics.

He said, “The leadership of the PDP, Rivers State chapter strongly condemns the statement credited to the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr. Amachree, calling for the redeployment of the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, Mr. Mbu.

“The call on the Inspector General of Police to redeploy the State Commissioner of Police is baseless, malicious and reckless.

“We hereby urge the Speaker to concentrate on the business of lawmaking for the good people of Rivers State rather than blaming his incapacity and ineptitude on some federal institutions in the state.”

He reiterated that the state PDP was neither aware of any plan to impeach the state governor nor any move to declare a state of emergency in Rivers.

“It is pertinent to state that no reasonable and responsible government is administered on the basis of cheap blackmail. Enough of this unnecessary and unwarranted political tension in the state,” Obuah said.

Reacting, Amachree, who spoke through his Personal Assistance on Media, Mr. Jim Okpiki, recalled that the PDP had in the past disagreed in other states of the country without the police taking sides.

The speaker explained that the action of the state commissioner of police was not in consonance with democratic norms anywhere in the world.

The statement read, “The Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly did not make any mistake in calling for the redeployment of the state police commissioner. He (Mbu) has shown bias in all that has happened in the state within the past few weeks.”