Posted by By Oronto Douglas on
Yesterday, His Excellency Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha, Ph.D, JP, Governor of Bayelsa State, was intercepted and held for questioning in the United Kingdom by the London Metropolitan Police.
Yesterday, His Excellency Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha, Ph.D, JP, Governor of Bayelsa State, was intercepted and held for questioning in the United Kingdom by the London Metropolitan Police.
The governor, still recuperating after a major surgical operation in a German hospital, and who can hardly work unaided, was on his way back home when he was accosted at Heathrow Airport by the British Police. He was subsequently made to undergo a grueling interrogation, which has more or less worsened his health situation. He has since been released.
The Government of Bayelsa State wishes to appeal to Bayelsans, Ijaw nation, and the Niger Delta to remain calm, in the face of this horrendous assault on the civil rights of one of their own.
We wish to point out that this is nothing more than an orchestration of political strategies at various levels of government and interests in the build up to 2007. This is even more so, since only one week ago, officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, invaded Yenagoa, arrested, interrogated and subsequently released three top officials of the state.
As we pointed out then, the target of that offensive was His Excellency Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha. The latest show in London is only a further dramatization of home grown plots.
We are convinced that there is a structured attempt to devalue certain political offices because of alleged political loyalties, political camps and political differences of the temporary occupants of those offices. Other executives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have been similarly humiliated despite the fact that under the Nigerian 1999 Constitution, they enjoy immunity from arrest. The attempt to treat our political offices with contempt has nothing to do with the fight against corruption. It is about our national dignity and the future of our democracy.
It is on record that since Governor Alamieyseigha assumed office six years ago, Bayelsa State has recorded a remarkable transformation. Even the President of the Federal Republic, General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd.), was so impressed that after his visit to the state in May last year, he wrote a letter of commendation to the governor.
'I want to place on record, my personal satisfaction with what I saw in terms of infrastructural development, during the most recent visit…", Mr. President stated. 'This positive development has engendered the renewed confidence of the people themselves in your administration. I commend you and members of your government for your achievements, especially in the special areas of healthcare delivery, ICT, provision of housing and road development".
Once again, we would like to appeal to the Ijaw people worldwide to remain calm despite these provocative attacks on the Governor-General of the Ijaw nation.
While the governor would have loved to return home right away, the London incident has taken a fresh toll on his health and he has been advised by his physician to rest for a while before coming back home.
•Being text of a press statement issued by Douglas, Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information and Strategy on behalf of the State Government.