Posted by By Isaac Olamikan on
Karibo Inainfe, secretary of the Jonathan Goodluck Ambassadors of Nigeria (JOGAN), the group angling for the success of the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor in the 2007 guber race, has reacted to recent moves by some elements in the State House of Assembly to impeach the number 2 man in the political hierarchy of the State.
Karibo Inainfe, secretary of the Jonathan Goodluck Ambassadors of Nigeria (JOGAN), the group angling for the success of the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor in the 2007 guber race, has reacted to recent moves by some elements in the State House of Assembly to impeach the number 2 man in the political hierarchy of the State.
The tough talking Karibo described the impeachment move as a non-event that would never succeed.
"On the issue of the impeachment, you know that it is politically motivated. Those are things we do not take seriously when we hear them. What prompted the move was the reconstituted local government caretaker committees' membership.
"Some people felt that he (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan) had an upperhand in the number of those appointed. They felt there was a need to arm-twist him so that they can have a control of the appointments. We knew that was what prompted the impeachment move.
"What are the basis for the impeachment? You don't impeach such a personality just for the sake of it. What are the basis? You don't just single him out. We all know you cannot touch him without touching the governor.
"We are all aware of the move no doubt about it but we know that it was a baseless move that cannot see the light of the day. We are not threatened by it at all. Those who are the perpetrators also know that it cannot see the light of the day.
"It is all part of their political gimmick and we are not threatened by it", he boasted.
On accusations by some youths from Nembe, one of this Deputy Governor's acclaimed stronghold in the Eastern Senatorial Zone, that he has not impacted positively on their lives since he came into office six years ago, Karibo said:
"There are certain things they (Nembe Youths) should realize about governance.
The Deputy Governor is part and parcel of the state government and he is not the person who takes major decisions in the agenda, for instance, is to build a university, and the governor and the state day-to-day running of the affairs of the State.
"There are laid down procedures when it comes to governance. He is the number 2 man, he takes orders from his boss. So, if the lawmakers believe that the best place to locate it is so and so place, he (the deputy governor) have no power to veto the decision.
"We're not looking at the location of the project. But we're looking at it as a major decision of the administration. The Deputy Governor cannot take a major decision of where a project can be sited.
"The issue is not that the Deputy Governor has done nothing for his community, but what is the government doing? Is the government progressive minded? If yes, the Deputy Governor is part and parcel of it.
"You cannot say that because he is the Deputy Governor every project must be sited in his area. Let us take our minds back to past leaders like Senator Okilo and King Alfred Diete-Spiff, they were not myopic in their thinking. They were patriotic and that is why till date they're celebrated.
"When they were governing the old Rivers State did they make it a policy to always site projects in their hometown? What you see in Brass (hometown of King Alfred Spiff), in terms of development, is made possible by multinational oil companies operating there.
"So, the question is not about what a leader sites in his hometown. If we begin to assess leaders by what they have done in their communities then we're not been broadminded", he stressed.