On Wednesday, November 19, 2014, the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, made a few comments about the forthcoming general elections. He said that the All Progressives Congress would not go to court if the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, rigged it out during the elections rather his party would form a parallel government. In response, the Office of the President said that the remarks were treasonable.
Governor Rotimi Amaechi
On Wednesday, November 19, 2014, the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, made a few comments about the forthcoming general elections. He said that the All Progressives Congress would not go to court if the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, rigged it out during the elections.
The governor, speaking at the APC Salvation Rally in Abuja, on Wednesday, was said to have added that instead of going to court, there would be civil disobedience in the country and that his party would form a parallel government.
In response, the Office of the President said that the remarks were treasonable. Addressing journalists yesterday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who tagged his speech, 'Amaechi's Open Threat to Democracy, said but for the immunity which governors enjoy while in office, the government would have picked Amaechi and make him face the full wrath of the law.
Dr. Doyin Okupe
He said, " "It is even more evil and certainly anti-democratic for him to threaten "civil disobedience" and the forming of a parallel government if his party loses the 2015 general elections. We unequivocally condemn this stance by Governor Amaechi, which borders on attaining power through threat, intimidation and subversion of popular will.
"If Mr. Amaechi is so much afraid of his party crashing to defeat in the general elections, what he needs to do is to advise the leadership of his party to either give up in good time or repackage itself in order to appeal to Nigerian voters who must definitely have the final say in the democratic process.
"We also want to sound a note of warning to Mr Amaechi and other desperate players on our political scene that Nigeria has moved away from the dark days of dictatorship and resort to brigandage and that any attempt by any individual or group of individuals to resort to extra legal means of acquiring power, would be dealt with by the laws of the land."