By JIMITOTA ONOYUME

Bottled up tension and intrigues that had characterized the relationship between the political leaders of Rivers State broke into a flood of unprecedented trouble for inhabitants and citizens of the Treasure Base of the Nation in 2013.

2013 was certainly a tumultuous one for the political class in Rivers State.
For the first time since the return of democratic governance in 1999 the State House of Assembly was shut down with its functions taken over by the National Assembly.

At the time of writing this piece the Assembly was still under lock and key with heavily armed security operatives around the premises to keep away the lawmakers.
2013 was also the year that the  House of Assembly witnessed a crack that polarised lawmakers into two camps; 27 members supportive of Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the other five members styled as anti-Amaechi legislators.

It was also the first time since 1999 that there would be a dispute over the office of Speaker of the House of Assembly.
The split followed a move on July 11, 2013 by the five anti Amaechi lawmakers to impeach the rabidly pro Amaechi speaker, Otelemaba Amachree. In the melee that followed the abortive move, the camp of five elected Hon Evans Bipi as the new Speaker of the House.

Though it was largely a failed move, but the five lawmakers and a faction of the PDP in the state have continued to recognize Bipi as the Speaker of the House.
Bipi, reportedly a former aide of First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan, it is believed is also drawing support from Abuja having blasphemously claimed to the chagrin of many Christians that Mrs. Jonathan is his “Jesus Christ on earth.”

The House has remained closed after that day as efforts to reconvene the House by either party met stern resistance from security operatives.
The Rivers state House of Assembly had hitherto been viewed as the most politically stable House of Assembly in the country.

It would be recalled that Governor Amaechi was a two term Speaker of the House during the reign of former Governor Peter Odili following which he passed on the baton to his former deputy, Tonye Harry. Harry who passed on recently lost the position to Otelemaba Amachree in the second term of Governor Amaechi.

Last year was also the first time in the political history of the House that majority of the members would be suspended by the political party on whose platform they won elections into the House. Factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state, Mr Felix Obuah had suspended the twenty seven pro-Amaechi lawmakers in the House for their refusal to comply with the party’s directive that they should lift the suspension they placed on the Chairman and seventeen councillors of Obio Akpor Local Government Area in the state.

APC and Police officers at the entrance of the Rivers State government house Wednesday to dispel Pro-Amaechi youths as the Rivers State House of Assembly Crisis witness Day two in Port Harcourt. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke

2013 was also the year that the then ruling party, PDP, was factionalised with one group loyal to the governor and the other paying allegiance to the Supervising Minister of Education, Bar Nyesom Wike.
Strangely in the same year, Governor Amaechi was suspended by his former party, the PDP.  It was the first time in the political history of the new Rivers state (after Bayelsa was carved out) that the governor would go through such in the hands of a party on which he came into office.

Dramatically, it was also in 2013 that a governor in the state would dump the party on which he came into his office for a fresh party, thus making his new party, APC, the ruling party in the state.
The year under review was dramatic politically in the state.  Obio Akpor local government and the seventeen councillors were also suspended in the year by the House of Assembly before the council was formally dissolved by the governor.

It was also in the same year that for the first time a local government council Chairman and the seventeen councillors refused to comply with an order by the governor dissolving the council, saying that the governor acted outside his constitutional powers.
The council at the beginning of the New Year had two heads; the chairman of the dissolved council, Timothy Nsirim and the Head of Local Government Personnel, Mr Azuibuike Singer who was so delegated by the governor after dissolving the local government council.

The state judiciary was also not immune from the crisis that rocked the state in 2013 as there was opposition to the appointment of Justice Peter Agumagu as acting Chief Judge of the state.  Some members of the judiciary had challenged the appointment saying that the governor violated procedures with his action. But the Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Worgu Boms said the governor’s action was in order.

It was also in 2013 that the Ogonis had to seek the face of God Almighty to help prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan to implement the United Nation Environment Programm, UNEP report on Ogoni. The report which was released two years ago had among other things called on the government to take urgent steps to clean up pollution in the area arising from oil spillages.

Senator Magnus Abe representing Rivers South  East senatorial district who spoke at the church service in Bori, headquarters of Khana local government area last year said they had to take their case to God after the Federal Government showed reluctance to the implementation of the recommendations by UNEP  on the area.

It was not entirely politics in the state. The popular Mile One market in the state was razed down by a strange fire. Some of the traders blamed the sad incident on ritualists within their circle while others   placed it on the door step of the political crisis rocking the state.

Proponents of the rituals theory said a ritualist had confessed recently that he was behind some of the markets that caught fire in the eastern part of the country.
The ritualist, according to the trader, said he set several markets on fire as a spiritual condition for him to be rich.  Those who linked the political crisis with the inferno said one party in the crisis may have thought of securing political gains by putting the market on fire.

It was also in the year that the first lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan held a colourful funeral programme for her foster mother, Madam Charity Oba.
After a year full of intrigues and tension, the prayer of residents and citizens of the state is that the peace that exceeds all understanding should reign in the state this New Year.