The Rivers State Police Command said it has no hand in the crisis that rocked the State House of Assembly, Tuesday where lawmakers were reported to have engaged themselves in a free for all fight that landed some of them in hospitals.
The Commissioner of Police (CP) in the State, Joseph Mbu stated this Tuesday while briefing the press on the allegation leveled against his command by some politicians that the police failed to provide adequate security during the contentious sitting to avert the fracas.
According to the CP, when the governor called him to fortify security presence at the Assembly he complied by sending officers from MOPOL 19 in addition to the police post at the Assembly complex and therefore could not understand where the failure information emanated from.
Mbu also dismissed insinuations that his men took sides in the matter by providing cover for a faction of the legislators when the police was also accused of not providing enough security at the scene of the incident.
The CP also told journalists that he reliably gathered that part of the agenda for the ill-fated Tuesday sitting was to pass a resolution to remove him, which was aborted by the crisis at the House that day.
He restated his commitment to ensuring security of lives and property in a most professional manner in the state, assuring the Rivers people that there is no cause for alarm as long as he remains the Commissioner of Police in the state.
Meanwhile, the confusion at the House of Assembly on Tuesday has continued to generate tension in Rivers State, while the five lawmakers who are opposed to Governor Chibuike Amaechi said they have impeached the speaker, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree and have elected their own speaker, in the person of Hon. Evans Bipi, member representing Ogu/Bolo Constituency at the Assembly.
The pro-Amaechi group said the status-quo remains.
Some pressure groups, activists, political watchers, amongst others have taken positions to either support or condemn the “democratic assembly palace coup”.
Prominent among them are Rivers Action Group (RAG), headed by one Comrd. Lebari Deedum Deeyor and Rivers Integrity Group, championed by one Comrd. Joseph Peter Chuku. These two groups said they hail the impeachment of the former speaker, Hon. Amachree and the emergence of Hon. Bipi as the new speaker, contending that they are confident that the new leadership will restore efficiency at the hallowed chambers.
The pro-Amaechi lawmakers have maintained that the Amachree leadership of the state Assembly remains intact. This was contained in two separate speeches made by the House Committee Chairman on Information, Hon. Onari Brown and former Speaker of the House and member representing Degema Constituency at the Assembly, Hon. Tonye Harry. The duo said that it is impossible for five lawmakers out of thirty-two members to impeach the speaker when the law stipulates two third majority for such act.
Harry specifically requested the media to discountenance with such rumour, which he blamed on detractors of the state government. ###
