The All Progressives Congress (APC) is contemplating the commencement of impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State due to multiple constitutional violations.
Tony Okocha, the chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee in the state, disclosed this during a press briefing held on Thursday in Abuja.
“Although I am not a member of the state House of Assembly, impeachment is a democratic process. Impeachment is not a coup de tat,” he said.
Mr. Okocha stated that the party is committed to taking all necessary measures to safeguard the 27 lawmakers from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who have switched allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“So, we are telling the governor that he cannot thrive on illegality; we will petition the judge before the National Judicial Council (NJC) for giving that Jankara order against our members.
“So we want to appeal to our party to join us to defend our members who are being ill-treated by the Rivers House of Assembly,” he said.
Addressing the demolition of the state House of Assembly complex, Okocha emphasized that the APC is committed to preventing illegality from taking root in Rivers.
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He further stated that the lawmakers who switched allegiance would persist in convening at alternative locations, as long as they retained the mace, a symbol of authority.
“You cannot place something on nothing and expect it to stand. Illegality is illegal.
“Let me also let you know that what makes an assembly is not the structure but the human beings in that assembly.
“So, an assembly can be moved anywhere, provided the mace, which is its symbol of authority, is there. As of yesterday, about 27 members sat and took far-reaching decisions on state matters,” he said.
He mentioned that the APC held the majority in the House of Assembly, with 27 out of its 32 members.
Mr. Okocha emphasized that this aligns with the party’s national secretariat’s mandate to engage with members of opposition parties in the state.
“We will fight illegality; we will not allow illegality to fester in our state. It is our duty now to defend our 27 members who are members of the State Assembly,” he stated.
He additionally urged FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to lend support to the party in the state.
“I have wooed him personally; we have told him publicly to come over and help us. He is a political juggernaut not just in Rivers but in Nigeria at large.
“He is a force, and that is why we won the presidential election after losing the three senatorial seats and all the State House of Assembly members,” Mr Okocha said.