Top newspaper report-Contrary to a report on an online platform, Sahara Reporters, yesterday that the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has been dropped from a trip with her husband to Namibia and South Africa, as a result of her ailment, the presidency yesterday said there was no iota of truth in the claim. Instead, the Special Assistant to the President on Media, attached to the First Lady, Mr. Ayo Osinlu, said the First Lady was hale and hearty and was expected to participate as a keynote speaker at a Religious, Traditional and Adolescents Leaders Conference, an event that is part of the inauguration of the National Strategy for the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy in Sierra Leone next week. “Her preparation for this is well advanced,” Osinlu noted a press statement. The aide, who described the online report as absolutely untrue, an evil imagination and an extension of a smear campaign targeted at tarnishing the image of the First Lady, wrote that: “We wish to state emphatically that the report is absolutely untrue and a creation of the wicked expectations of Sahara Reporters and those who pay their bills.” According to the statement, any discerning person, who had been following her events in recent days would notice that she had not only been healthy but active. “Indeed, it will be recalled that the First Lady effectively participated in the tasking National Conference on 100 years of the Nigerian Woman, which she hosted as a component of the Centenary Celebration of the country in Lagos, April 18 to19, 2013,” the statement said. It added that: “Those who attended or watched the event on live television (NTA and AIT) will confirm that we saw a healthy and active First Lady in attendance during the Conference. “Only last Friday, she also presided at the inauguration of the Nigerian Prisons Staff School, built in the Federal Capital by the Prisons Officers’ Wives Association (PROWA). Media reports of the event were still trickling as at yesterday.” The aide insisted that the story about the “deteriorated” health of his principal by the online platform is a figment of its imagination and that: “The First Lady is not an official of the Federal Government of Nigeria, and is therefore not under obligation to join every foreign trip made by her husband, in perfect expression of his statutory duty to foster both bi-lateral and multi-lateral advantages for the country.” “The First Family is therefore at liberty to determine what trips they make together. Meanwhile, the mischief behind this online medium’s sudden worry that the First Lady is not on the President’s trip abroad is betrayed by the fact that the same medium led its allied choristers to belly-ache in the past about the frequency of her presence by her husband’s side on official engagements outside the country,” the statement further emphasised, expressing hope that in the future professionalism will override “personal irresponsibility.”

The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Otelemaba Amachree, yesterday raised the alarm over plot to impeach Governor Rotimi Amaechi by the Felix Obuah-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, state executive committee.

The Speaker, in a statement signed on behalf of other members of the House, alleged that a fake mace has been smuggled into the state to enable anti-Amaechi lawmakers impeach the governor and cause mayhem, as a prelude to a declaration of a state of emergency.

The statement reads: “The leadership and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly wish to bring to the notice of the people of Rivers State and Nigerians some of the dangerous moves by the Felix Obuah-led PDP to cause general chaos and confusion in Rivers State.

“We have been xreliably

informed that a fake mace has been smuggled into the state to enable five members of the House hold an emergency session even when the House adjourned sine dine on Tuesday, April 23, 2013.

“The Abuja plan on ground is to falsely impeach the Rt. Hon. Speaker and the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and create confusion through varied responses, which they hope will make the state ungovernable and provide them with some kind of warped basis to introduce Emergency Rule in Rivers State.

“Furthermore, there are strong indications that some persons have been detailed exclusively to create systemic collapse of security in the state, putting lives and property in danger. “This is undemocratic, unacceptable and a complete violation of the mandate that the good people of Rivers State have vested on us.

“We call on the good people of Rivers State to remain calm, watchful and law abiding as the scenario unfolds.” But the state PDP chairman, Obuah, denied any involvement in the alleged move to impeach Amaechi, saying he does not have the power to remove the governor.

He said that he only told the governor to explain the ownership of the controversial aircraft recently grounded by the Federal Government. Obuah said: “By virtue of my position as the state PDP chairman, I have no power to impeach the governor.

I know the powers of my office as a party chairman. I only told him (Amaechi) to explain the ownership of the plane. The party has no constitutional right to impeach the governor,” Obuah said.

In a related development, the Rivers State High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt yesterday granted an interim injunction restraining the state chapter of the PDP over Monday’s suspension of 27 members of the state House of Assembly.

The court order was dated Monday, April 29, the same day they were suspended even as the senator representing the Rivers South East in the National Assembly, Magnus Abe, described the suspension order as an attempt to intimidate the legislature, advising the lawmakers and the people of the state to ignore the order from the party exco.

The majority leader of the House of Assembly, Chidi Julius Lloyd, who was among the 27 lawmakers suspended by the state PDP, had approached the court with an affidavit requesting for an interim injunction restraining the Obuah-led executive from suspending them from the party on Friday, April 26.

The case was filed by Barr. Emenike Ebette. Lloyd’s action came on the heels of a 48-hour ultimatum given to the lawmakers by the Obuah-led executive to reinstate the Chairman of Obio/ Akpor Local Government, Timothy Nsirim; the vice chairman, Solomon Eke, and all 17 councillors suspended by the lawmakers on Monday April 22, or face disciplinary action by the party.

The interim injunction, which was granted by Justice Sika Henry Aprioku, also restrained the PDP, Obuah and Prince Ibibia Opuene O’Walters, state secretary, from declaring their seats vacant as well as from applying to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct elections to replace them, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit, which comes up for hearing on May 6.

Reacting to the suspension, Senator Abe said the action of the state exco was designed to undermine the constitution of the country, adding that it is unprecedented and ridiculous in its entirety.

“I think it is ridiculous and it is clear that the exco has been foisted on the state and it is there only to try to destroy the party, because anybody who is a legislator will tell you that nobody by the laws of this country is supposed to try to intimidate the legislature in the execution of their constitutional duties.

So, what this amounts to is a clear effort by somebody to undermine the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It has never happened anywhere.

“Even in the House of Representatives when the party came to prevail on the PDP members in the National Assembly to elect somebody as Speaker, and they elected somebody else, nobody suspended all the PDP members of the House of Representatives because everybody understands that a lawmaker is supposed to vote according to his conscience at critical times.

“This is the foundation of our presidential system of government. So, we are not in a parliamentary democracy where the party can order you to vote one way or the other. It’s a ridiculous action.

And I want to urge Rivers people to ignore it and urge the House of Assembly to ignore it and go about their constitutional responsibilities. Nobody can intimidate the legislature in this country,” Abe said.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday mandated its Committees on Justice and Aviation to investigate the justification behind the “grounding” of Rivers State governmentowned Bombardier BD 700 Global Express jet by the National Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, and report to the House in two weeks. The House mandate followed a motion from Hon. Ahmed Idris (PDP-Plateau State).

The member of the House representing Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau State, saw the grounding of the plane, which was conveying Governor State, Amaechi; Speaker of the House, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and other members of the House to the burial of late Deputy Governor of Ekiti State as a witch-hunt of perceived political enemies of the Presidency. Idris, who is also the Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Character, said he was “worried that impunity, lawlessness and political vendetta are now the order of the day in a 21st century democratic Nigeria.”

He noted that “a bombardier BD 700 Global Express aircraft with registration number 5N565RS belonging to Rivers State Government, which conveyed the Governor of Rivers State and other government officials from Owerri to Akure was grounded by NAMA in controversial circumstances at Akure Airport on Friday April 26, with a request that the entourage should contact either Hon. Minister of Aviation or Managing Director of NAMA for clearance as the only condition for the aircraft to be allowed to fly.”

He expressed worry that “three different reasons have been adduced for the controversial grounding of the Rivers State Government aircraft,” stressing that “this incident raises serious issues as to the abuse of powers by the executive and the use of state machinery to witch-hunt perceived political opponents.”

He added that the trend was “extremely dangerous and detrimental to any democracy and tends towards dictatorship and draconian tendencies typical of the military era.” The motion was adopted without much debate and referred to Committees on Justice and Aviation to probe. Also, the Rivers State Government yesterday said that it was yet to get any formal communication from the nation’s aviation authorities over the suspension of jet.

The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, in a statement in Port Harcourt expressed dismay over the series of comments attributed to officials of different agencies in the aviation sector on the status of the aircraft.

“It is pertinent to note that all of the information and queries about this aircraft have only been through the mass media. The Rivers State Government has not received any communication from the Ministry of Aviation or any of its agencies querying the status of its aircraft even up till this moment,” she stated.

According to the commissioner, the government was surprised to read about matters of administrative procedure and allegations of illegality and abuse of process in the media, saying that the press conference and the various issues raised arose only after the embarrassing incident of the delay of the aircraft and its passengers at Akure on Friday, April 26, 2013 She noted that all the issues raised at the press briefing would be the third reason adduced for the delay of the aircraft in Akure.

“However, for purposes of clarification and in keeping with its policy of rendering ‘transparent and accountable stewardship’ to Rivers people, we would wish to state the following for the avoidance of doubt: Aircraft N566 RS arrived Nigeria and has been operating since October 2012. “It was bought by Rivers State Government and registered as a US Aircraft in the first instance, to preserve value and provide ease of operation and sourcing of available pilots.

To qualify for N registration, the operator must be a US citizen hence RVSG entered into a trust with Bank of Utah Inc, a bank that specialises in aircraft trust.” She explained that the relationship between the state government and Bank of Utah is that of a trustor and trustee.

All N registered aircraft enjoy the privileges of a US citizen, adding that trust agreement for the purpose of N registration is common in the aviation industry. “It is important to state that there are other aircraft owners in Nigeria with N registered aircraft.

This practice is because of the ease of movement that N registered aircraft are privileged to enjoy. We do not therefore understand why Rivers State Government has been singled out.

“The clearance referred to was PH-Accra-PH and not Accra-PH-Accra as stated. Aircraft was being operated through a local operator, Caverton Helicopters, pending approval of importation licence by Minister of Aviation. “Request for this license was filed by the operator on behalf of the Rivers State government and this was expressly stated in the request filed on August 27, 2012 and received in the minister’s office on September 4, 2012.

“The Rivers State Government is a responsible sub national and guardian of the resources of its people. It will at all times and in all circumstances act within the confines of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” she added. One of the most respected voices in the Nigerian aviation industry, Group Capt. John Ojikutu, while reacting to the issue berated the Federal Government and the country’s aviation agencies for the controversy trailing the delay of the jet.

Ojikutu, a former Commandant at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, MMA, Lagos, said the action of the aviation agencies has exposed the country and Presidency to ridicule, stressing that the dust was yet to settle on the muscling of the journalists with the recent arrests of reporters with Leadership Newspaper.

He said it would amount to big indictment on the part of the aviation regulatory body if it was true that the aircraft papers had expired since April 2, 2013 and only found out almost a month before the aircraft was grounded, adding that it portends serious problem to safety and security of the country.

This, he said, amounts to again spreading political fangs into the delicate aviation industry and warned that the agencies needed to be very careful on this turf else they exposed the travelling public into the murky waters of Nigerian politics.

He warned that this could set up the industry for international sanctions. Ojikutu, in an interview with journalists in Lagos, said: “When has the submission of passengers manifest on private aircraft flight become mandatory and also the responsibility of NAMA? The need for passengers manifest on private aircraft (if any is required and in force) can only be the responsibility of the SSS and (in the case of private aircraft on international flight) the Immigration Services. This new development by NAMA will soon make it an Open Sesame for controllers to start making such irresponsible demand from pilots of private aircraft.

“For whatever reasons, where were the various aviation agencies now crying wolf when the aircraft left Port-Harcourt? Did the aircraft leave Port Harcourt without filing a flight plan or was the aircraft not given Air Traffic Control clearance between Port Harcourt and Akure?

“Are these two aviation agencies located only at Akure airport and not at Port Harcourt airport? What these agencies are telling Nigerian is that an aircraft with all these alibi crossed the red-line unnoticed in Port Harcourt and could have flown to any other place other than a Nigerian airport.

“If whatever these agencies are now telling Nigeria is true to their duties and not politically motivated, then they have all failed in their responsibility and that portends danger in the management of our airspace and the air traffic control services.”