Amaechi has lost decorum, Presidency says

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi

The Presidency on Sunday came down hard on Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State over some allegations he made against President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, on Saturday.

While speaking at the All Progressives Congress mega rally held in Port Harcourt, Amaechi had, among other allegations, accused Jonathan of not implementing any project in the state and that the President had encouraged corruption as well as meddling in Rivers State’s internal affairs.

But the Presidency, in a statement by the Special Adviser to Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, described the allegations as “false and baseless vituperations.”

Abati said the governor’s unwarranted outburst was an indication that he had lost all sense of propriety, decorum and responsible political behaviour.

He said Amaechi was peddling the falsehood in order to incite the people of the state and the country against “his assumed political foes.”

He said, “Governor Rotimi Amaechi took his obnoxious willingness to denigrate the highest office in the land in a reckless bid to advance his selfish political interests to a new level of irresponsible and rascally behaviour yesterday (Saturday) in Port Harcourt with his totally false and baseless vituperations against President Jonathan, the First Lady and the Federal Government.

“It appears from the governor’s completely unfounded and off-the-mark allegations that he had totally lost all sense of propriety, decorum and responsible political behaviour and resorted to unacceptable demagoguery, libel, blackmail and incitement of public disorder.

“Unless his unbridled ambition and desire for self- promotion have completely befuddled his mental faculties and caused him to totally lose touch with reality, Governor Amaechi must know that his claims and allegations are untrue.

“We can only assume therefore that he is deliberately spewing malicious falsehood in a desperate effort to incite the people of Rivers State and Nigeria against his assumed political foes.”

Abati warned the governor that there were legal, constitutional and moral limits to political rascality beyond which he would not be allowed to go without repercussions.

He said notwithstanding the immunity Amaechi currently enjoys, a day of reckoning would come when he would answer for all his false allegations against the President, his wife and the Federal Government.

Abati’s statement added, “The immunity which he currently enjoys notwithstanding, Governor Amaechi should be under no illusions: A day of reckoning will surely come when he will answer for all his actions and false allegations against President Jonathan, the First Lady and the Federal Government.

“He should also know that Nigerians are aware of the truth and will never be fooled or swayed by his arrant opportunism and anti-Jonathan ranting.”