The factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Chief Felix Obuah and Governor Governor Rotimi Amaechi have again engaged in war of words over an alleged plot to let incarcerated Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly, Chidi Lloyd off the hook.
According to Obuah, “reliable” information reached him yesterday that Amaechi had directed the Rivers Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Worgu Boms, to lay ambush against the prosecution of Lloyd at the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt; an allegation Amaechi said was not only ridiculous but pre-empts the decision of the court.
Obuah, a strong antagonist of Mr. Amaechi, spoke through his Media Adviser, Jerry Needam.
According to him, “Governor Amaechi is hell bent on frustrating the prosecution of Hon. Lloyd, through the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Worgu Boms; evidence that the governor is comfortable with the life-threatening harm that Hon. Lloyd caused Hon. Chinda.
“If Governor Amaechi desires peace, he would have gone to see the badly-battered lawmaker and shown concern, for the sake of humanity, but instead of that, he is plotting that the Attorney-General of the state should enter a nolle prosequi to terminate the criminal proceedings to be commenced against Hon. Lloyd.
“Such an action will not only be morally wrong, but amounts to an abuse of office and miscarriage of justice. It will heighten bitterness and provoke the sympathisers and relatives of Hon. Chinda, who may be forced to believe that the action of Hon. Lloyd was not an accident, but planned and masterminded by the governor and Lloyd.
“Irrespective of what has happened, it is inhuman and absolutely wrong for the governor to be blocking the due process of justice in such a highly-sensitive case, where a lawmaker would have murdered another on the floor of the House, as was shown on television.
“Much as nobody is perfect, the actions we take when others are deliberately injured will help to heal wounds and soothe pains.
“If the Rivers attorney-general goes ahead to issue a nolle prosequi to terminate the trial of Hon. Lloyd, the situation might heighten tension and further threaten the prevailing fragile peace in the state and nobody can tell the extent that the consequences may go.”
However, reacting to the claim, Gov. Amaechi’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor said: “Hon. Chidi Lloyd has not been charged to court yet so the alleged giving of a supposed direction on a matter that has not even arisen is a most ridiculous speculations aimed at prejudicing or influencing the exercise of the powers of the Hon Attorney General should Chidi Lloyd be eventually charged to court.
“The exercise of such power is provided for and guided by the Constitution and not by some speculation of partisan participants like Felix Obuah and his backers!”
The governor accused Obuah of playing mind games and dared him to reveal where and when the plot was hatched.
Lampooning the factional PDP chairman and his backers as “a bunch of jokers that no one should pay attention to”, Gov. Amaechi added that the Obuah-led faction “has consistently showed that they are out to cause confusion, divide and destroy the party.”
