Rivers state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have taken a swipe at Governor Siminalayi Fubara, days after he threatened to surprise those daring him.
While receiving members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) from the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers on a solidarity visit to Government House, Port Harcourt on Wednesday, April 3, Fubara had said his decision to implement the presidential peace pact should not be misconstrued as a sign of weakness.
Reacting to this at a press conference on Thursday, April 4, the State’s APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Chief Tony Okocha accused Fubara of plotting illegality, vowing that the people of the state would resist his moves.
He also claimed that Fubara is planning to obtain an interim order to appoint caretaker committee of chairmen of the local government areas.
Okocha said;
“I want to use this opportunity to inform Rivers people and Nigerians of the move by the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to procure interim orders from Judges that I may not name here, but I will put in my petition today to the National Judicial Council.
“He wants to procure interim order 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 as led by Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule. The Governor is in the business as we speak and I speak with all authority because the walls have ears.
“These are the plans that are on and he is doing that so that he will now leverage on that order to go ahead to appoint caretaker committees in local government against the warning of the man he says he respects, the President.
“But let me put it clearly here that we will stoutly, vehemently oppose such negative subterranean moves by a man who ought to protect the dignity and integrity of a state called Rivers. Rivers State cannot be turned to a pariah because of cluelessness of one person. Rivers State is a state to be reckoned with in the comity of nations, highly respected and regarded.
“But see how dangerously we have fallen because we have a Governor that does not understand his left from his right. So we to put out this clearly to Nigerians and to Rivers people that we will stoutly disobey that. The gift according to Frantz Fanon that I like so much, the gift to an intransigence government is civil disobedience.
“If the Government of Siminalayi Fubara tends towards intransigence, then he will meet with civil disobedience. It is just natural.”
The party added in a statement;
“Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered about his address but for his threat to ‘surprise’ the people asking him to implement the Presidential Proclamation for Peace in Rivers state by the President and Commander-in-Chief, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR which Gov Fubara freely endorsed.
“Let Gov. Fubara be reminded that in the resolution of any conflict, the parties(belligerents) MUST make necessary sacrifices for peace and stability.
“If Gov. Fubara regrets reporting or asking the President to intervene to save him, which elicited the Presidential Proclamation for peace in the first place. Let him address the state by coming clear to apologize for entering into that reconciliation and opting out of it completely. “However, having entered into that agreement unfettered, he is BOUND by it and MUST follow through to the end.
“The style of issuing threats to the people for a decision he made without coercion is most disheartening. We wish to advise the Governor and his party-PDP, that the instability, absence of peace, lack of development, good governance, transparency and accountability have nexus with their refusal to respect the office and person of the President and commander-in-Chief, President Bola Tinubu by implementing into to the items on the presidential proclamation.
“Gov. Fubara and his Party-PDP will be held accountable for any further breakdown of law and order engendered by his threat. We call on all lovers of peace, the Federal Government, the international community and lovers of Democracy to call the Governor to order.
“As a party, we shall do everything legally possible to ensure the compliance and obedience to his decision as exemplified by signing of the proclamation and its implementation.
“The buck stops at the Governor’s table and MUST take responsibility for any breaches in the build up to lasting peace and stability in our dear state. Threats alone will not solve the problem but understanding, cooperation and selflessness.”