Why Gov Amaechi was blocked from entering Government House – Rivers police

The Rivers state police command has explained
the reason for barring the governor of the
state, Rotimi Amaechi from entering his
residence through the Forces Avenue main
entrance to the Government House.
The governor who was on Thursday returning
from an inspection tour of projects in the
state was barred by gun-totting policemen who
barricaded the entrance.
According to the state Police Public Relations
Officer (PPRO), Angela Angela Agabe (DSP), the
entrance was blocked as a measure to prevent
a breakdown of law and order after a splinter
group of the Peoples’ Democratic Party in the
state opened a secretariat on the same road.
All roads leading to Forces Avenue were
immediately closed.
The governor’s Chief of Staff, Tony Okocha
had earlier led members of a faction of the
PDP to open the secretariat at 38, Forces
Avenue, Old GRA, Port Harcourt. The
‘secretariat’ was, however, later closed down
by the police who were said to be acting on
superior orders.
“You can’t do this. Not here. We will not allow
it,” ordered the police deputy commissioner,
Sam Ogaora, who reportedly led the police
team.
“We will go all out to ensure that we maintain
law and order in this state. Anybody that takes
the law into his hands will be dealt with
accordingly. That is exactly what we have done
here. We don’t have any secretariat here and
anybody who has come here to hoist any flag
will be dealt with. Nothing more than that,” he
said.
While explaining the closure, the state police
PPRO says the governor could have made use
of other entrances to the Government House
seeing no reason for the ruckus being
generated. “The governor has other routes to
get to the Government House. So I don’t see
how this should be an issue,” Agabe said.
While narrating the incident to newsmen
yesterday, Ibim Semenitari, the state
commissioner for information said, “The
governor was coming back with his visitors,
former speakers of Houses of Assembly, he was
blocked on his way into the government house,
leading to his private entrance.
The police blocked the road, the governor
came down and identified himself, but they
told him they had orders from the
commissioner of police.
“Gov. Amaechi, therefore, had to go through a
longer route to get to the Government House,’’
she said.
Semenitari described the action as an insult on
the office of the governor of Rivers.
President Goodluck Jonathan had yesterday
landed in Port Harcourt on his way to his
home state Bayelsa to attend an Anglican
Church organised event.