Rivers State Commissioner of Police Mohammed Ndabawa
FOR the second time in two days, operatives of the Rivers State Police Command barred members of the State House of Assembly from gaining entrance into the assembly complex in Port Harcourt.
The police had since Thursday barricaded the main entrance to the State House of Assembly despite a Federal High Court ruling nullifying the takeover of the House by the National Assembly.
The police had explained that they would only open the Assembly complex for sitting anytime they got directive from Abuja.
But the 25 pro-Rotimi Amaechi lawmakers had converged again on Moscow Road with the aim of holding a session in the Assembly complex, but were surprised that the police were still mounting a road block.
The same fate befell the anti-Amaechi lawmakers, who had thought that they would get a preferential treatment from the police and be allowed to enter the Assembly complex.
Anxiety, however, reached a fever level when the 25 pro-Amaechi lawmakers got information that the police had opened the Assembly’s main gate to the five anti-Amaechi lawmakers, ostensibly to impeach the Speaker, Mr. Otelemaba Amachree and the state governor.
The police began to shoot tear gas to disperse the lawmakers, APC leaders and their supporters that had already formed a crowd near the State House of Assembly along Moscow Road when it became clear that they (lawmakers) were not ready to leave.
The Rivers State Police Command had earlier told the lawmakers outside the Assembly complex that there were two factions in the House.
Omoku Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Mike Chukwuma, who led the police team, said they would not allow any of the two groups to gain entrance until they received directive from the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar.
Chukwuma said, “We are aware that your matter is a legal issue. We are professionals and will not allow any of the two Assembly factional groups to gain entrance into the Assembly complex.
“The two groups have similar interest. The police are assuring you that the Assembly complex will remain closed until we get further directives from the Inspector-General of Police at Abuja.”
The Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr. Leyii Kwanee, recalled that members of the House of Assembly had on Thursday, December 12, 2013, attempted to gain access to the Assembly complex following the Federal High Court judgment restraining the National Assembly from carrying out the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“We are here again today, Friday, December 13th, 2013, to gain access to perform our legislative functions and we were also prevented again by the police. We hear, the police want to open the Assembly complex to other five legislators. But they have assured us that the Assembly complex will remain closed,” Kwanee said.
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