Rivers' Amaechi Vs Omehia/PDP: Politics Of Smear Campaign

Senior Fyneface

Political landscape in Rivers state has always been characterized by interesting features which most times posed difficulties in interpretations using common sense. In the two interesting election-related cases in Rivers state, smear campaigns have emerged as a potent political ploy directed at swaying popular public opinions and maybe decisions of both the apex court and election tribunal.

At the level of informed perception, there seems to be deliberate attempts to coerce the Supreme Court against honest ruling on the actual consequences of using “error” instead of “verifiable cogent reasons” to substitute a candidate selected through the due process of party primaries with someone who was never part of the process. Recent happenings and pronouncements have raised some serious concern in the perceived deliberate attempt to smear the former speaker with everything that has gone wrong in the state.

Though some people may think that incumbent government’s deliberate ploy to blame Amaechi for everything that has gone wrong and is going wrong in the state represents an outright smear campaign, it actually gives an indication of desperation on the side of the government in its drive for acceptability by the Rivers people. Amaechi has been blamed for virtually everything from the kidnap of Omehia’s mother, through payment of Soboma George to the Ijaw coup as popularly christened by the spokesperson of the State Government.

However, unfolding developments are fast exonerating the Ubima-born Ikwere former speaker. Few weeks ago at the wake of the legal contention of the rightful Rivers PDP guber candidate, he was out rightly accused of being the mastermind behind the well publicized kidnap of the aged mother of the sitting governor, Celestine Omehia. Few days after the gory event, earlier insinuations that those who took Omehia’s mother were his political associates whom he allegedly short- circuited in monetary compensations during his installation, were confirmed. Security agents after thorough investigations traced the entire kidnap saga to Celestine’s younger brother from the same womb. He is still being detained by security agents though the Rivers state government that earlier accused Amaechi has deliberately manipulated media reporting of the unfortunate kidnap of a mother by her son in a desperate attempt to compel his brother (governor) to pay money since he refused to help any of his relatives.

Anybody who has followed the cult violence in Rivers state would agree that it was an outright mischief for the government to allege that Amaechi paid money to Soboma George to undermine the security situation of the state. If Amaechi paid Soboma to cause trouble, who paid Ateke to roll out his army? Who raised and engaged both Soboma and Ateke? Soboma after his escape from Port Harcourt prisons freely walked the streets of Port Harcourt even visiting the Government House where Omehia worked as the closest aide of former governor Odili. This happened despite the fact that he was declared wanted dead or alive by the Police, SSS and other security agencies. Was it Amaechi he was visiting at the Government House? The government people including the present governor should stop deceiving themselves and come out plainly to face the truth in the problem they (Government House past and present) created not only for themselves but for everybody in the state.

It is most absurd for any group of persons simply because they are benefiting from Omehia’s government to accuse Amaechi of engineering well known elders of the Niger Delta to push for declaration of emergency rule in Rivers state. Is Amaechi an Ijawman or does the young man has such overwhelming influence across the entire Niger Delta region? If agreed that the former speaker welds such enormous influence and power across the region as alleged by people in government, then there is no other person as qualified in the state to be called a leader than himself. Let common sense guide our thinking. How can somebody who had succeeded in establishing that he is the rightful PDP governorship flag bearer in the April election be involved in activities that can thwart speedy dispensation of justice which obviously would go in his favour?

The real Rivers people should critically look at the real masterminds behind the entire call for a state of emergency or rather those who have capitalized into the call for an emergency rule to hatch their own political mischief. Is it not possible that some people in and close to government have seen the need for a full or pseudo emergency rule as an escape route for the obvious reversal of whatever may have been called election in the state? For as long as the military remain in the state under the emergency situation, the sitting governor may cash in to embark on image laundering to enhance his acceptability profile. Truth be told, such gimmicks would work only in the short term.

Nothing could be truer than the allegation by concerned Rivers citizens that “It would seem that those who do not appreciate the need for a just determination of the circumstances of substitution of Rotimi Amaechi outside the strict requirement of law and what that portends for our so-called fledging democracy want to use the unfortunate development in Port Harcourt, as a basis to whip up undue sentiments.

“Perhaps, this is aimed at cowing the judiciary to abdicate its sacred duty of determining the serious question of rule of law and democracy in the Amaech/Omehia saga for expediency of the usual ‘let’s allow peace to reign in order to move the state forward’ familiar sing song.”

Rivers state belongs to all of us and those of us who are apolitical can no longer afford to impotently watch a few cabals take everybody in the state for granted. Needless to say that the various name-calling and smear campaigns against Amaechi are aimed at stampeding and swaying the apex court away from determining this matter unemotionally with due consideration of the implications to democratic practice not only in the state but across the nation. Rivers people should have in mind that the issues involved in this matter goes beyond Amaechi and Omehia but touches the sole essence of party primaries as enshrined in the Electoral Act.

Was it legally right to substitute by “error” rather than “cogent verifiable reasons,” a candidate who participated in the actual screening and election process with another person who did not even collect party nomination form nor participated in any of the processes of the party primaries at all? Ignoring the plethora of smear campaign propaganda, the Supreme Court should look at the full implications of such act because today it is Amaechi, tomorrow who knows who may be affected by such robbery by a gang who think that Rivers state belongs to them just by the mere fact that they were opportune to come into or near government. And the apex court should not be manipulated into towing the path of ‘let us allow peace to reign’ as “heaven would obviously not fall” if the right thing is done.