Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has directed members of the House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule to commence impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Tony Okocha, gave the directive during a media conference in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, May 7.
Okocha gave the directive after the governor’s recent declaration that “the Assembly members do not exist anymore in the eyes of the law.” The governor and 27 members of the Assembly loyal to former governor, Nyesom Wike, have been at daggers drawn after the move to impeach the governor was thwarted.
While receiving a Bayelsa State delegation of political and traditional leaders, led by former governor, Seriake Dickson, at Government House in Port Harcourt, Fubara lambasted the Amaewhule-led lawmakers at the state House of Assembly and declared they do not exist anymore in the eyes of the law. He said in seeking a peaceful resolution to the political crisis that erupted in the state last year, due to disagreements with Wike, his erstwhile political godfather, he had attended several reconciliation meetings. He regretted that despite his effort to adhere to the presidential pact on the political crisis, the other party has continued to distract his government.
“Let me say it here, those groups of men, who claim they are Assembly members, are not existing. I want it to be on record. I accepted that peace accord to give them a soft-landing. That is the truth. There is nothing in that peace accord that is a constitutional issue. It is a political solution to a problem. I accepted it because these are people that were visiting me and we were together in my house.
These are people that I have helped… in many ways when I was not even a governor. Yes, we might have our disagreements, but I believe one day, we could also come together. That was the reason I did it. But I think it has gotten to a time when I need to make a statement on this thing, so that they understand they are not existing. Their existence and whatever they have been doing is because I allowed them to do so. If I don’t recognize them, they are nowhere, that is the truth.”
Reacting to Governor Fubara’s comment, Okocha said no section of the constitution empowers the governor to declare the Assembly members non-existence.
“The president (Bola Tinubu) cannot be derided by the governor. 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 less than Mr. President insult Mr. President under our very nose. It is also absurd to see the governor begin to espouse impunity, intimidation on 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.
To that extent, in consultation with my party, we have directed APC Assembly members to immediately commence impeachment processes of Governor Fubara. Impeachment of a government that does not respect the Rule of Law,” he said
He said if the House of Assembly fails to commence impeachment, the party will invoke the relevant sections of its constitution to discipline them.
“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,” he said.
He described the government of Fubara as clueless, accusing him of squandering Rivers money in the last one year in office.
“Everyday, we find justification in our assertions that the government of 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. He is procuring for himself, other very negative dictions and the penchant to deceive Rivers people. And, of course, you know that as the main opposition political party in Rivers State, we will never sit down to see all those things and go free, nor shall we allow him to ride rough shoots over us and over the people of Rivers State,” he said.
