From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has accused Governor Siminialayi Fubara of planning to procure court injunction to stop members of the House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, from performing their constitutional functions and to declare their actions illegal.
State Caretaker Chairman of the APC, Tony Okocha, made the allegation when he briefed newsmen in Port Harcourt, yesterday, saying the plot was in connivance with some judges in the state.
He threatened to petition the judges to the National Judicial Council (NJC), vowing his party would resist such actions.
Okocha further alleged the purported plan by the governor was against democratic tenets, adding that APC would move to protect the 27 lawmakers of the House who are members of his party.
He said: “I want to use this medium to inform Rivers people and Nigerians of the move by Governor Fubara to procure interim orders from judges, I may not name here, but will name them in my petition to the NJC. He wants to secure interim orders to stop the implementation of laws he was vetoed. He wants to procure orders to announce as illegal, the Rivers State House of Assembly as constituted and as led by Amaewhule.
“He is now doing that so that he would leverage on that order to appoint caretaker committees for local governments against the warning of the man that he says he respects (Mr. President).
“But, let us put it clearly here that we would stoutly resist such negative subterranean moves because we want to protect the integrity and dignity of Rivers State.If the government of Fubara tends towards intransigence then, he will meet with civil disobedience.”
Okocha said his party would resist the moves because members of the Assembly are members of his party, that the move is an insult to President Bola Tinubu, who is the leader of APC.
The party chieftain also criticised the state governor for daring President Tinubu when he addressed civil servants in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, on the implementation of the Peace Proclamation reached with him and other political gladiators during the peak of the political crisis that rocked the state late last year.
Fubara had, during the ‘Thank You Rally’ by members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Rivers State Council, threatened to surprise those taking his implementation of the peace pact as a sign of weakness.
But the party chairman insisted Fubara has been flagrantly disobeying the proclamation he freely signed, especially with the re-presentation of the budget before the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly and directive not to set-up caretaker committees for the local government areas.
“That you re-present a budget before the legitimate Assembly recognised by Mr. President as being headed by Amaewhule, also the directive to the governor to conduct an election and never recognise any other nomenclature in the local governments; has it been done?
“Does Governor Fubara run a budget duly re-presented to a legitimate Rivers State House of Assembly? Is the governor denying or about to deny his signature on that document?
“Again, you are all aware that by effusion of time, the governor’s blatant refusal to conduct local government election goes to affect the extant laws of Rivers State and that is a deliberate attempt to disrespect and disobey Mr. President,” he said.
The APC CTC chairman insisted Governor Fubara could not claim to be respecting President Tinubu without implementing fully the peace proclamation he signed before him.
“If Governor Fubara’s warning of springing unpleasant surprises if dared, then, it is the highest height of insult to Mr. President and the Office of the President.
“If the threat is to Amaewhule and other 26 members who have been asserting their independence and consistent in line with the principles of checks and balances and in making laws for the prosperity of Rivers State, then, the governor goofed again.
“If this threat is targeted at members of the APC in Rivers that have sustained its role as main opposition party in the state and had remained unequivocal in speaking for the masses of our state, then, he misfired as usual. If the threat is to his estranged benefactor who is the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, then, it will not be out of place to describe Governor Fubara as a serial ingrate,” he said.
The House of Assembly, at the weekend, threatened to resume impeachment moves against the governor.