By Danlami Nmodu
The Presidency as well as the Peoples Democratic Party have reacted furiously to a call by Action Congress of Nigeria ,ACN for President Goodluck Jonathan’s impeachment over the Rivers Crisis.Dr Doyin Okupe,senior special assistant to the president on public affairs told journalists,“ 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”,Okupe said today.
Continuing, Okupe added ,“It is now 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.
“We therefore call on our distinguished and honorable parliamentarians and the general public to ignore and disregard the self-serving and unpatriotic call for impeachment of the President by the Action Congress of Nigeria”,Okupe said.
Specifically, he reiterated the denial of Jonathan’s involvement in Rivers Crisis. “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.
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.
To avid watchers of Nigerian politics, President Goodluck Jonathan has not shown himself as a person who will deploy his immense constitutional powers against any governor or democratic institution to achieve personal goals.
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.
It is sad therefore, that despite repeated clarifications including one recently made by ACN Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state absolving President Goodluck Jonathan from the NGF crisis, Alhaji Lai Muhammed in his characteristic deafness to truth, continues to mischievously drag the exalted office of the President into controversies arising from the election of the Chairman of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum.
In the same vein,the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned in strong terms statement by the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in which it is seeking to drag the name of President Goodluck Jonathan into the recent developments in the Rivers State House Assembly.
PDP Acting National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Tony Caesar Okeke, in a release described the ACN statement in which it also called for the impeachment of the President as “malicious and the height of political irresponsibility”. The ruling party accused the opposition of seeking to aggravate the situation in Rivers state for selfish reasons.
The PDP said it was appalling that the ACN would always seek to distort facts to the extent of trying to link the President to the situation in Rivers state all in a desperate bid to tarnish his image and bring him to public odium.
“The attention of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to a statement issued by the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in which it attempted to drag the name of President Goodluck Jonathan into the recent developments in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“This is malicious and indeed the height of political irresponsibility on the part of the opposition. It is highly appalling that the ACN in its usual homage to lies and distortion of facts will go to the extent of dragging the name of the President into the issue just to tarnish his image and bring him to public odium.
“President Goodluck Jonathan has continued to display commitment, candour and sincerity in handling national issues. It is therefore a sign of frustration, desperation and defeat for the opposition to call for the impeachment of the President on account of the issues in Rivers state”, the statement said.
The party however urged all members of the River State House of Assembly and indeed all leaders in the state to exercise restraint and maintain decorum. It also called on all its members in the state to remain calm.
TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS,DR DOYIN OKUPE ON WEDNESDAY 10TH JULY, 2013.
Gentlemen of the Press,
The reaction of the Action Congress of Nigeria to the event in the Rivers State House of Assembly as contained in a Press release issued by the party’s publicity secretary this afternoon calls for concern by all patriotic Nigerians.
The 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.
Once again, this position of the ACN is another condemnable, extremist and fundamentally flawed position by the opposition party.
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.
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.
To avid watchers of Nigerian politics, President Goodluck Jonathan has not shown himself as a person who will deploy his immense constitutional powers against any governor or democratic institution to achieve personal goals.
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.
It is sad therefore, that despite repeated clarifications including one recently made by ACN Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state absolving President Goodluck Jonathan from the NGF crisis, Alhaji Lai Muhammed in his characteristic deafness to truth, continues to mischievously drag the exalted office of the President into controversies arising from the election of the Chairman of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum.
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.
It is now 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.
We therefore call on our distinguished and honorable parliamentarians and the general public to ignore and disregard the self-serving and unpatriotic call for impeachment of the President by the Action Congress of Nigeria.
Thank You
DR DOYIN OKUPE
SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS
