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By Godwin Chukwumaechi
The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has urged the 27 members of the state House of Assembly to “go and impeach” state governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
Addressing a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha, gave reasons for the call for Gov Fubara’s impeachment.
He said the governor had continued to disrespect President Bola Tinubu by refusing to implement all the eight-point peace agreement reached in Abuja on the political crisis in the state, to which he appended his signature.
Chief Okocha stressed that; “A state as crucial and all-important as Rivers State churned out a dunderhead. We cannot accept that. Our charge to the Assembly is to immediately commence an impeachment process against the governor.
“And if they don’t do that, there is what they call party discipline. We shall invoke the relevant section of the constitution.”
Meanwhile, elder statesman and leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) Chief Edwin Clark has sent a petition to the Inspector General of Police IGP, Kayode Egbetokun and other security agencies on the plan by the Rivers State House of Assembly to impeach Gov Fubara.
In his petition dated 7th May and made available to our correspondent, Chief Clark warned that the impeachment threat against the governor is an action “Likely to cause the breach of peace and a break down of law and order.”
In the petition titled, “Threat By Former Rivers State House of Assembly Members to Impeach the Popularly Elected Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara Is An Action That Is Likely to Cause Breach of Peace And Breakdown of Law And Order In Rivers State”, Chief Clark told the IGP that as an elder statesman he owed it an obligation to support President Bola Tinubu’s Government.
He said; “We must condemn and prevent any action by any individual or group of individuals that would threaten the peace, stability and unity of this country. We have no other country to go to if there is any uncontrollable crisis in the country and this is the main reason why I have been involved in the looming crisis in Rivers State between the former Governor Barr Nyesom Wike who is now the minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the current governor, His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara which is spreading like wildfire and every attempt by Mr President to resolve it amicably has not succeeded”.
“I am the leader of the South-South Geopolitical zone and leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF). I am from Delta State. As a father, it is therefore my duty to see that the people of South-South and other Nigerians live in peace and harmony. I believe in justice, fairplay and equity, irrespective of whose ox is gored.
“I have been involved in Rivers State affairs since 1951, before the creation of Rivers State and more actively in May 1967 when Rivers State was created with eleven (11) other states and when the Biafran forces occupied Rivers State and Mid-West State in the same year”, he added.
He observed that although Wike helped Fubara to become governor of Rivers, the duo parted ways because of the minister’s ambition to control the politics and governance in the state saying that the crisis deteriorated, prompting President Bola Tinubu to midwife a controversial peace deal between Messrs Wike and Fubara, after the seats of 27 pro-Wike lawmakers in the Rivers House of Assembly were declared vacant following their defection to the APC.
He regreted that despite the peace deal, the feud between the two former allies –Mr Wike and Fubara – had persisted.
Chief Clark warned; “The recent unprovoked announcement by the Speaker and 26 former Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly might cause a breakdown of law and order in Rivers State and the consequences of such crisis will not only affect Rivers State politically, socially and economically but will also affect the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large.
“We have enough of such crisis of all dimensions in nearly all parts of this country already and we therefore prevent anymore of such crisis. I had earlier advised and appealed to our President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call his Minister Nyesom Wike to order to avoid this looming crisis and that the interest of the entire country should supersede the interest of an individual or a small group of people otherwise the consequences will be disastrous.
“It is in this spirit I am addressing this letter to you as the Inspector General of Police who is in charge of the peace and stability of this country. You are therefore fully aware of the dangerous precarious situation we are facing today in this country whereby the people are no longer safe to move around, to go to their farms to feed themselves; I seriously warn that if the sanctity of the country’s constitution is not obeyed by its citizens, the consequences that will follow will be anarchy.
“The 27 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have automatically forfeited their seats in accordance with section 109 (1g) 2 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, which states; “g, being a person whose election to the House of Assembly was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another part before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected; 2, The Speaker of the House of Assembly shall give effect to subsection (1) of this section, so however that the Speaker or a member shall first present evidence satisfactory to the House that any of the provisions of that subsection has become applicable in respect of the member.”
“Above all, section 1 of our Supreme Law i.e the Constitution states, “sub1, This Constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
It will therefore be madness and suicidal for any responsible and patriotic Nigerian to breach the Constitution of Nigeria”.
