by Oge Okonkwo

The six Rivers state lawmakers seeking to impeach the state’s governor, Rotimi Amaechi, have gained entry into the sealed Rivers state House of Assembly building to begin a ‘plenary’ session.

The group was led by Evans Bipi as there were said to have been sneaked into the building by police officers and are believed to have commenced a meeting to impeach the governor.

Premium Times reports:

The six members of the Rivers state House of Assembly opposed to Governor Rotimi Amaechi are planning to hold a plenary today to commence impeachmentproceedings against the governor, people familiar with the matter have told PREMIUM TIMES.

The faction, which enjoys the backing of President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, is currently strategizing on how to discreetly access the sealed Assembly complex to hold its sitting, our sources said.

The sources said the police in the state have agreed to provide cover for the lawmakers to hold their sitting.

The spokesperson for the Rivers Police Command, Ahmad Muhammad, wouldn’t confirm or deny the allegation.

“I’m in Lagos at this time, and do not know what is happening in Rivers,” he told PREMIUM TIMES on telephone

The leader of the group of six lawmakers, Evan Bipi, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES his group would meet today.

“Yes, we are going to meet today at the Assembly complex,” he said in a telephone interview. “The police are asking for the court judgment before they will allow us sit but I’m currently talking to them. In a little while, lets say 10 a.m., we will proceed to the Assembly.”

Mr. Evan did not say what his group would discuss at its sitting.

He however insisted that it was only his group that deserved access to the Assembly complex to hold meetings.

“I took them to court and won so why should they try to sit there. That was why the police stopped them. But the police will allow us to sit.”

But the deputy speaker of the Assembly, Leyii Kwani, told PREMIUM TIMES Friday morning that his group would resist any attempt by the police to allow the Evan Bipi-led group to sit.

“We will not fold our arms and allow them to commit illegality,” Mr. Kwani said on the telephone. “We will repeat what we did yesterday by trying to sit too. If the police do not allow us to enter the Assembly, we will sit outside. If that does not work, we will move elsewhere to continue our sitting.”

The police had on Thursday disrupted a sitting of the 26 lawmakers loyal to Mr. Amaechi.

The lawmakers, led by Mr. Kwani, had converged on the Assembly to sit in compliance with a high court order barring the National Assembly from taking over the functions of the Assembly.

But as the lawmakers tried to gain entry, the police quickly descended on the Assembly and sealed off the complex.

The lawmakers then decided to hold their sitting outside the complex.

But the police suddenly began shooting teargas and live ammunition at the lawmakers who quickly took to their heels scampering for safety.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES after the incident, the state Commissioner of Information, Ibim Semenitari said, “It is an indication of the impunity ravaging the country and a clear indication that the PDP under the present leadership has lost all forms of democratic conduct.

They can’t even pretend to wear a mien of civility rather they are practising jackboot governance and repression worse than we have ever seen under the military.”