The caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has called on the state’s House of Assembly to resume impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
This comes after a previous withdrawal of the impeachment notice in December, following intervention from President Bola Tinubu amid a rift between the governor and Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The ongoing feud between the governor and Wike revolves around control of the political structure in Rivers State.
Addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt, Tony Okocha, the APC chair in the state, accused the governor of disrespecting Tinubu.
“It’ll be foolhardy for us to sit down and see someone way less than Mr. President insult him under our very nose,” Okocha stated. “It is also an absurdity to see the governor espouse impunity and intimidation on people who are members of our political party, and we stand akimbo doing nothing.”
He further emphasized the party’s stance: “As representatives of Mr. President, we won’t sit here and see the governor insult the President. We won’t sit here to see the governor declare on his own as if he’s a court to declare Assembly members’ seats vacant.”
Okocha directed APC members in the Assembly to immediately initiate the impeachment process against Governor Fubara. He warned of disciplinary action if they fail to comply with the party’s directive.
Responding to the APC’s call, Fubara expressed dismay over the attitude of the assembly members towards his administration, noting that they owe their positions to him. He also acknowledged accepting the peace deal offered by Tinubu as a political solution to the rift.
In December, 27 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislators in the Rivers assembly defected to the APC. Subsequently, the seats of 25 of these lawmakers were declared vacant.
