Amidst the political face-off between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, Nyesom Wike, and the governor of of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, the caretaker committee chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Rivers State Chapter, Tony Okocha, said efforts made by President Bola Amed Tinubu to settle the rising tension in the state has failed.
Addressing a press conference at the APC national secretariat on Thursday, in Abuja, following the developments in the state, including the peace move by Tinubu to end the strained relationship between Fubara and Wike, Okocha said: “I wasn’t part of it, but whatever that was it, has broken down, and it has been broken irreconcilably.”
Okocha added that four members of the state House of Assembly, led by a factional Speaker, Edison Ehie, perpetrated illegality by sitting and approving the budget that Fubara presented for the 2024 fiscal year.
He also said the embattled 27 members of the House of Assembly do not need the demolished House of Assembly complex or a physical structure to carry out their duties.
“The House of Assembly can be moved anywhere. It is not necessarily down to a building. Provided the mace is present there, members can sit anywhere. As of this morning, the 27 lawmakers met and even signed some resolutions.
“Even when the building was burnt, the governor never bothered to set up a panel or committee to investigate. Apparently, we know he was the mastermind.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), the government brought it down to prove fait accompli to the members who defected. But we as a party have said we will fight illegalities and not allow anybody to hound any lawmaker.
“We are here to tell the world that we stand with the lawmakers. What they did is not an aberration. Defection is not new. In 2014, the PDP was run aground and the members left in droves to the opposing party.
“The PDP in Rivers has imploded and we are benefiting from the reward. We are telling the governor he cannot thrive on illegalities. I have given instructions to the legal adviser to petition the NJC to report the judge for delivering that ‘Jankara’ judgment.”
