- Fubara had said that he regards the assembly members as non-existent, maintaining that, out of magnanimity, he had only provided them the opportunity to “float.”
- Debo described the chapter APC chairman’s directive as delusional and hallucinatory.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of being desperate to annex Rivers.
The caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers had asked the state’s house of assembly to impeach Siminalayi Fubara, the governor.
On Tuesday, Tony Okocha, chair of the APC in the state, while addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt, the state’s capital accused the governor of “insulting” Tinubu.
Reacting in a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP spokesperson, asked the All Progressives Congress to perish the thought of a forceful takeover of Rivers.
He described the chapter APC chair directive as “delusional and hallucinatory”, saying that such reckless and unwarranted statement “exposes the vile desperation of the APC, which is roundly rejected in Rivers, to use violence, coercion and bullying to undermine the will of the people and forcefully take over the state.”
“The attention of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to a delusional declaration by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Mr. Tony Okocha wherein he issued a hallucinatory directive that an impeachment proceeding be commenced against the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara,” Debo said.
“Such reckless and unwarranted statement by the APC Chairman in Rivers State exposes the vile desperation of the APC, which is roundly rejected in Rivers State, to use violence, coercion and bullying to undermine the wILL of the people and forcefully take over the state.
The PDP noted that the lawmakers being called to carry out what is obviously an illegal act are unknown to the law because they had since ceased to be lawmakers having forfeited their seat on account of their decision to resign their membership of the PDP a platform on which they were elected.
“The fact that the Rivers State APC chairman, in his warped imagination, thinks he can direct impeachment proceeding against a duly elected state governor not only shows the level of APC’s arrogance and condescension for the people of Rivers State but also further confirms APC’s desperation to forcefully annex their democratic rights under the Constitution,” Debo contined.
“In any event, the individuals that the Rivers State APC chairman directed to commence impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara are not legally members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and cannot contemplate or exercise such powers under the law.
“These individuals, by virtue of Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), have since vacated and lost their seats, rights, privileges, recognition and obligations accruable to members of the Rivers State House of Assembly after their defection from the PDP, the political Party platform upon which they were elected into the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“For emphasis, Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution provides that: ‘a member of a House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if… (g) being a person whose election to the House of Assembly was sponsored by a political Party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected.
“It should be noted that Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution is self-executory. The import of this provision is that the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected have vacated their seats by reason of that defection.
“The unlawful directive by the Rivers State APC Chairman to these individuals to commence an impeachment proceeding against the Governor is, therefore, a brazen call for anarchy as it amounts to an attempt to forcefully overthrow a democratic Order in clear violation of Section 1 sub-section 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“For clarity, Section 1 Sub-section 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides, ‘The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed, nor shall any person or group of persons take control of the government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.’”
The PDP drew the attention of the inspector general of police (IGP) to the subversive utterances of the APC chair in Rivers, which, it observed are capable of triggering crisis and derailing the democratic order in the country.
“The APC must perish the thought of forcefully taking over Rivers State, as such is a direct assault on the sensibility of the people, which will be resisted firmly.
“The APC Chairman in Rivers State should come to terms with the fact that Rivers State is home to the PDP and that the people of Rivers State are not ready to put their destiny in the hands of a corrupt, oppressive, and anti-people special purpose vehicle like the APC.
“The national leadership of the PDP expresses appreciation to the people of Rivers State for always standing with the PDP and urges them to continue to resist the APC in its vicious attempt to inject violence and destabilise the state.”
On Monday, Fubara expressed dismay over the attitude of the assembly members to his administration, adding that the lawmakers only exist because of him.
The governor added that he accepted the peace deal offered by Tinubu because it was a political solution to the rift.
In December, 27 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislators in the Rivers assembly defected to the APC. The seats of the lawmakers were subsequently declared vacant.
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