The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has directed members of the State House of Assembly led by Martin Amaewhule to commence impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the party, Mr Tony Okocha gave the directive during a media conference at his office, in Port Harcourt.
This development arose after the governor’s recent declaration that the Assembly members do not exist anymore in the eyes of the law.
Okocha said no section of the constitution empowers the governor to declare the assembly members non existence.
Okocja who is an ally of Nyesom Wike, the former governor of the state said Governor Fubara is clueless and therefore shouldn’t govern the state.
According to him, “Everyday we find justification in our assertions that the government of Sir Siminalayi Fubara is the worst thing that has happened in our political landscape, in our political history. We are justified every other second in our assertion that the government is clueless, is directionless and it is ruthless.
“And that the governor is even compounding the matter…
“And of course you know that as the main opposition political party in Rivers State, we will never sit down to see him do all those things and go free, neither shall we allow him ride roughshod over us and over the people of Rivers State.
“What the governor can claim he has achieved in 365 days is the issue of squandering Rivers money, one hundred and fifty million per LGA.”
Speaking on the Presidential agreement over the political crisis that occured in the state last year, Okocha warned that the party in the state would not keep watching while the governor continues to undermine the President.
Okocha said “The President is the leader of our own political party and it will be foolhardy and stupidity on our part to sit down, to see somebody way less, insult Mr President under our very nose. It is also absurd to see the governor begin to espouse impunity, intimidation on a people who are members of our political party and we stand akimbo doing nothing.
“We are here to respond vehemently and stoutly to say to you that as Chairman of APC, Rivers State, as representative of Mr. President, that I won’t sit here to see the governor insult the President, we won’t sit here to see the governor declare on his own as if he is a court to declare Assembly members seats vacant.”
The APC chairman however, urged the lawmakers who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC to commence the impeachment process against the governor, warning that if they fail to act, he would invoke the constitutional right and deal with them.
“To that extent, in consultation with my party, we have directed APC Assembly members to immediately commence impeachment processes of Governor Sim Fubara. Impeachment of a government that does not respect the Rule of Law.
‘And if they don’t do that, there is what is called party discipline, we shall invoke that aspect of the constitution and deal decisively with them. We will not also sit down here on behalf of Rivers people to see Rivers State become a laughing stock in the comity of nations”, Okocha warned.
Reacting, the State Commissioner for information, Mr Joe Johnson said the APC chairman does not have the locus standi to direct the lawmakers to commence the impeachment process.
He said “Tony Okocha by definition is an acting caretaker chairman and you know once there exists a caretaker, it means there is a substantive chairman of APC in the name of Chief Emeka Beke.”
Citing Section 109 (1g) of the constitution of the federal government of Nigeria, Johnson it has already eliminated the existence of 27 lawmakers who crossed from the major political party to another party.
He said “Because APC as a matter of fact does not have leadership. They have a leadership that is Tony Okocha on one hand, in contention with Chief Emeka Beke on the other hand, so whose report shall we follow?
“So the governor was right to say that by our own law, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says that once an Assembly member, not House of Reps, not a governor, not the president, an Assembly member that has moved from his own political party that brought him to power, once he defects he loses. No court on our land can change it, once the constitution states a thing it becomes law.”
He added that, “What Tony Okocha is raising is a smoke screen. He does not have the locus standi to direct. And let me assure you, Rivers people will resist it to the last point.”
