From Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, CEOAFRICA.com gathered that the state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, was blocked from gaining entrance to the Government House yesterday by the Nigeria Police.

Sources revealed that the governor was in the company of some former Speakers of state Houses of Assembly when the alleged Joseph Mbu-drafted police officers barricaded the Forces Avenue leading to Amaechi’s residence in the Government House.

For close to 30 minutes, there were heated arguments between Amaechi’s aides and the policemen before his convoy eventually turns back to take alternative route.

Speaking about the incident, Rivers State Commissioner for information and Communication, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari explained that even the governor personally came down from his vehicle to address the police team, but he was still denied entrance to the State House, along with his guests. She said the leader of the police team told Governor Amaechi that “I do not take orders from civilians”

Semenitari  said, “The State Commissioner of Police ordered his men to barricade the road. Indeed, they (policemen) knew that it was the governor.

“The governor came down from his vehicle and introduced himself to the leader of the police team that blocked the road. But the leader said he does not take orders from civilians.

“The governor, who was with some visitors, later turned back and took a longer route to his   residence inside the Government House.”

Also, in his own remark about the incident, Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Tony Okocha said the governor was with 102 former speakers that came from different parts of the country when the incident happened. He added that the incident happened in the presence of the visitors and described it as unfortunate and embarrassing to the governor and the state at large.

He said the thinking earlier was that the Policemen were only guiding the sealed New PDP secretariat located on the same road.

“It is good that this happened in the full glare of the visitors. We have said it on several occasions that Rivers State  is under siege. Mbu ordered his men to stop the governor from entering the Government House.

“We did not bother to call the Commissioner of Police because some of the policemen there said they were acting on his (Mbu) order.”

Meanwhile, Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, dismissed that the police blocked the governor from entering the State House.

According to findings from sources, the PPRO said security operatives were not at the Government House, but only mounted a guard at the New PDP Secretariat that was sealed off on Thursday. She also claimed that some hoodlums with PDP flags took  over the property  before  the policemen were  sent to  disperse them when they (hoodlums) started fighting.

It was also gathered that the former Speakers were in the state for a meeting before paying the governor a courtesy visit. They also joined him on inspection tour across the state.

The Thursday’s incident followed series of rivalry between Governor Amaechi and Mbu which started when the police took over the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area Secretariat after the Chairman was suspended by the state House of Assembly.

It would also be recalled that the CP later withdrew the security aides to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Otelemamba Amachree along with some local government chairmen. He also withdrew security operatives in the Government House.

Despite the National Assembly’s directives that Mr. Mbu should be redeployed, the order has not been properly executed.