A two-minute 22 seconds video detailing
the encounter between five of the seven rebel governors in the breakaway
faction of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Divisional Police
Officer of Asokoro Division, Abuja surfaced on YouTube on Monday.
The DPO, Mr. Nnanna Ama, was said to
have led a detachment of policemen in three trucks to the Kano State
Governor’s Lodge where governors Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano), Chibuike
Amaechi (Rivers), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Babangida (Niger), and
Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) were having a meeting.
In the video, Lamido was seen shouting
at the top of his voice when Ama, who was putting on an orange T-shirt,
walked into the meeting venue in company with some plain clothes
policemen.
Ama, who had asked to see the host, the
Kano State governor, might have resorted to speak with Kwankwaso in
private on noticing the way and manner still and video cameras were
directed at him as he insisted that he wanted to see “his Excellency.”
But Lamido, who was sitting on a sofa,
hit the table intermittently and yelled at Ama, saying, “The governor
(Kwankwaso) is here. Talk to him. What do you want from him? We are
meeting alright. So, talk to him.”
At a point Lamido, who was obviously
infuriated, stood up and ordered some of their security aides, who were
in suit, to push the DPO out of the meeting venue.
One of the people sitting next to Babangida held Lamido in the hands and led him back to sit down.
“Push them (DPO and his men) out,” Lamido yelled.
One of their (rebel governor’s) security
aides, who wanted to take action after Lamido gave the order, looked
at the DPO eye-ball to-eyeball and asked, “What do you want?”
But the DPO replied that he had informed him before being taken before the governors.
“I have told you,” Ama replied, nodding his head.
In the course of the said invasion,
Ama, who was seen smiling at intervals, tried to move in the direction
of Lamido. But two of the security aides present held him from the back
and prevented him from going further.
However, a scuffle was prevented as
Ama, who appeared to have been treading cautiously, simply moved back
without challenging the duo. Lamido reiterated his order and shouted
again, “Get out. Who the hell is he?”
While the video lasted, some of the
aides who witnessed the scenario were heard from the background asking
if the DPO’s mission was to arrest the governors and other members of
the breakaway faction attending the meeting.
Amaechi, who was also present at the
meeting, was sighted in the video discussing and gesticulating with
other attendees. At another time, Amaechi was seen rubbing his palms.
Kwankwaso, who crossed his legs while
the altercations lasted, hinted that he was available to be briefed on
the DPO’s mission.
“You can talk to me,” Kwankwaso told the
DPO, who soon moved towards the governor to have a discussion with
him. The video later went dead.
Meanwhile, mixed reactions have greeted
the alleged disruption of the rebel governor’s meeting, with some people
arguing that police “invasion” of the venue was a breach of their
constitutional right to freedom of association and peaceful gathering.
But others argued that since a court of law had declared the New PDP illegal it ought to have put a stop to calling and holding meetings.
A YouTube user, Adeolu Moronkeji, after
viewing the video, wrote that it was wrong for a police officer to
harass democratically elected governors who enjoy constitutionally
guaranteed immunity on the orders of the powers that be.
She added that the invasion bore the hallmarks of the Presidency.
“This is very embarrassing. Is Nigeria a
God-forsaken country? It appears that the era of totalitarianism and
fascism is looming in Nigeria. GEJ na wa o!” Morenikeji wrote.
Also, on punchng.com, a reader with the name Gidi stated, “ If the New PDP
is illegal, does it mean old friends cannot meet anymore? Is it that
the powers that be don’t understand the fundamental right called
‘freedom of association’?
“Do they need to take a refresher course
on the provisions of Nigeria’s constitution? Are we still under
military rule? Even during the Abacha regime people still had some
rights of association and movement. When is it a crime for one to host
colleagues?”
But also on punchng.com, a
reader, Fidel, said it was high time the rebel governors started
expending their time and energy on productive endeavours that will
better the lot of Nigerians rather than their incessant meetings which,
according to him, were heating up the polity.
Gidi wrote, “These rebel governors could
have been better appreciated by Nigerians if they have been spending
the quality time they expend to transverse the length and breadth of
Nigeria on finding a lasting solution to the menace Boko Haram that has
ravaged the north.
“Almost on a daily basis, innocent
people are being killed but that seems to mean nothing to the eyes of
these so-called rebel governors and yet they said that they are fighting
for justice. So what justice can be better than saving people’s lives?
Instead they are seeking political recognition which is nothing but
their selfish desire.”
source: The Punch
V
