The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has called Rivers State governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to resign from office honourably within 48 hours or be impeached by the State House of Assembly.
Chairman of APC in the state, Chief Tony Okocha, made the call on Monday morning while briefing journalists at his private residence in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Okocha accused Fubara of insulting President Bola Tinubu, when he attempted to proffer a political solution to the crisis in the state.
He said: “As a political party, we are today advising the governor; there are two options, resign honourably or be impeached. That is the position of the All Progressives Congress. He has disrespected Mr. President and we told him that we cannot be here and have him to disrespect Mr. President.
“The offences are there; the Supreme Court has agreed and even provided us with more evidences. The House of Assembly does not need to set up any committee again to investigate him.
“48 hours is too much to give him as ultimatum. He should just resign honourably.”
Okocha said the matter has got to an end where Fubara has only to resign or be impeached, saying there is no other option at this point. He said the invitation the governor sent to the 27 lawmakers was nothing but a ‘Greek gift’.
He said: “Fubara has disrespected Mr President who tried to mediate on the outcry of the people of Rivers State. He has run the state aground. This is your final bus stop. The president as a father tried to provide political solution and you refused. Now, he says let the legal process run to its natural conclusion.”
Saying the invitation to the lawmakers is belated, he also said it did not follow protocol and that it was wrong for the secretary to the state government to be the one that signed it.
Okocha said the three major points listed in the letter for discussion were wrong, saying you do not discuss Supreme Court ruling, you simply obey. “If you have appeal, you file it to God in heaven. He will choose when to answer you and how to answer you.”
He went on: “If you bring ant-infested wood prepare for the visit of lizards. It is stupidity that made nwanza (bird) to challenge his ‘chi’ (god) to a fight. Where are those people cheering you to a fight? You alone will leave office. They have disappeared. You alone will be impeached.
“The Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) not need to set up any panel of investigation. Just resign. Forty-eight hours is too long. A little spark can cause an explosion in Rivers State right now.”
On the threats from the creeks, Okocha said; “We are not perturbed. If they burst pipelines, how does it affect us in Rumuigbo. We go to the bush and catch rabbits, but you cannot catch fish in your area.
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“Our leader (Wike) was meticulous and patient in this fight, even when some of us the followers pressed him. He always told us that this fight is not 100 meters dash but a long race. That race has come to an end. The lawmakers were also patient. We congratulate our leader and the lawmakers.”
He said the governor did not mean well with the invitation to the lawmakers, saying it was in the media immediately it was issued, showing bad faith. He called it an aberration because the House was to sit by 10am to receive the chairman of the Rivers State Independent Election Commission (RSIEC) was on extended ultimatum. “The governor also has an ultimatum to present the budget. So, how does this invitation fit in this scenario?”
He said the governor ignored court rulings to conduct the government election. “We know where it will end. The Court of Appeal gave a ruling that the Federal High Court was wrong. Now, the Supreme Court has given a final judgment, not just ruling. An election where the police, INEC, DSS were debarred from participating, how does it stand.”
He accused Gov Fubara of heartlessness saying he has caused stoppage of salaries of workers. “No budget law, no allocation. So, the state has stopped functioning. Resignation is the only honourable way out, or be impeached. Go Fubara is a very dangerous snake. He does not care that workers will not get salaries.”
He said the party begged him in the early stages to obey Mr President who he said spent over four hours in a peace meeting. He sponsored groups to insult the peace agreement. He went ahead with LGA elections but we said it was to put us away. We rejected the processes and called for a review but they did not listen.”
He went on: “What is called unfolding drama in Rivers State is nothing to us because nothing is unfolding. The governor is merely groping in the dark like a drowning man clutching at every straw to survive. We are the major opposition in Rivers State and voice of the voiceless.
“This matter has dragged for two years. We tried to offer the governor advice that could help. We said he was clueless but he did not pause to see what we meant. Our opposition is not for malice but to help. We were clear that he was clueless.”
Okocha is seen as the voice of Wike and the 27 lawmakers and the point man of the FCT war chest. He seems to coordinate both the APC and PDP factions in the state loyal to Wike. Many say nothing Okocha says that is not the exact mind of Wike, and the workplan that would unfold next.
He was made APC caretaker committee chairman after the Chibuike Amaechi-backed state executive committee was dissolved as soon as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took over. The courts nullified the CTC but he emerged as elected party chairman (though also nullified by courts but firmly backed by the national working committee of the party).
Okocha was also made by Wike to be the Rivers State Representative in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). All those who tried to oppose Okocha or strive against him from the federal angle have since bowed to him as the only way to get a look-in by the FG as long as Wike is the one through whom everything belonging to Rivers State under Tinubu comes.
This is why many say the words of Okocha may not be as empty as people think. He seems to speak for a carefully coordinated group from both the APC and PDP under the iron-grip command of the FCT Minister who hold both the yam and the knife, plus the whip.
