Threatens to petition NJC, resist move
PORT HARCOURT – The All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers State says it has uncovered plots by Governor Siminalayi Fubara to procure several interim court orders that would sack the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers at the Rivers State House of Assembly and also halt the implementation of certain laws the house members vetoed him on.
The Leader and Caretaker Committee Chairman of the APC in the state, Chief Tony Okocha in a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Thursday accused the Governor of surreptitiously procuring the orders from judges in the state, adding that the plots would be hatched within the week.
Okocha, who refrained from disclosing the identities of the accused judges to journalists, threatened to transmit a detailed petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC), with the names of those involved.
Okocha however vowed that his party would vehemently resist the moves by the state government, adding that if such a plot was allowed to materialise, it would constitute an insult to the APC and President Bola Tinubu who is the leader of the party.
He said, “I want to use this opportunity to inform Rivers people and Nigerians of the move by the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara to procure interim orders from judges that I will not name here but I will put in my petition to the NJC. What is the intention? He wants to. He wants to procure interim order restraining or stopping the implementation of the laws which he was vetoed over.
“He wants to procure an order to announce as illegal the Rivers State House of Assembly as constituted and led by Rt. Hon. Martins Chike Amaewhule.
The Governor is in the business as we speak and I speak with all authority because the walls have ears, like a politician in this state used to say that he lives in somebody’s kitchen, so we live in their kitchen, we live in their bedroom, we live in their parlour.
These are plans that are on, you may get this one confirmed before Monday and he is doing that so that he would now leverage on that order to go and appoint caretaker committees in local governments against the warning of the man he says he respects, the president.
“But let’s put it clearly here, that we will stoutly, vehemently oppose such negative subterranean moves by the man who ought to protect the dignity and integrity of a state called Rivers State.”
Speaking further, Okocha stated that reacted to Governor Fubara’s refusal to holistically implement the eight-point peace pact brokered by President Tinubu, amounts to an insult to the person and office of the president.
“In his own voice and I quote, let me say it here for record purposes, what is happening in our state is somebody who has respect for an elder. Mr President invited all the parties to Abuja and came out with a resolution that we should go and implement, the resolution I am implementing it, it is not a constitutional implementation, (I’m quoting him, where he makes mistakes, it is his mistake not mine, because I don’t know what he meant by constitutional implementation), but a political solution to a problem, I am doing it because of respect for me president, but let me say it here, if that action that I have accepted to follow would be taken as weakness, I will surprise them. I want this message to go to them.
“Though it sounded infantilist and pedestrian, the Governor’s media aide embellished it better in a statement he signed off with the theme, Rivers peace pact: If you dare me, I will surprise you.
“Now the questions begging for answers are as follows, first, when did Governor Fubara realize that Mr. President peace pact are not constitutional solution, but mere political solution, which he may choose to implement or not, second, why was Governor Fubara not courageous enough to make the damning observation before Mr President who after handing down the peace pact, freely signed by Governor Fubara, his deputy and other isolated stakeholders that participated at the meeting at the behest of Mr President, when Mr President gave the opportunity to Governor Fubara to first speak.
Has index number eight in the resolution which directed the Governor to conduct an election in the local government and never recognise any other nomenclature in the local government administration, has that been done, no, you are all aware that by effusion of time, the a Governor’s blatant refusal to conduct an election goes to affect the extant laws of Rivers State and of course is a deliberate attempt to disrespect Mr President,” he added.
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