The Peoples Democratic Party has strongly condemned the All Progressives Congress for suggesting a forceful takeover of Rivers State.
During a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, addressed the issue. He was responding to calls by the Rivers State Chairman of the APC, Mr. Tony Okocha, urging members of the House of Assembly to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Ologunagba emphasized that the lawmakers being instructed to impeach the governor do not legally exist, as they forfeited their legislative seats by resigning from the PDP, the platform on which they were elected.
He stated, “The attention of the leadership of the PDP has been drawn to a delusional declaration by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, Mr. Tony Okocha, wherein he issued a hallucinatory directive that an impeachment proceeding be commenced against the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara.
“Such reckless and unwarranted statement by the APC Chairman in Rivers State exposes the vile desperation of the APC, which is roundly rejected in Rivers State, to use violence, coercion, and bullying to undermine the WILL of the people and forcefully take over the State.
“In any event, the individuals that the Rivers State APC Chairman directed to commence impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara are not legally members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and cannot contemplate or exercise such powers under the law.
“These individuals, by virtue of Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) have since vacated and lost their seats, rights, privileges, recognition, and obligations accruable to members of the Rivers State House of Assembly after their defection from the PDP, the political Party platform upon which they were elected into the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
He further explained, “It should be noted that Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution is self-executory.
“The import of this provision is that the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected have vacated their seat by reason of that defection.
“The unlawful directive by the Rivers State APC Chairman to these individuals to commence an impeachment proceeding against the Governor is, therefore, a brazen call for anarchy as it amounts to an attempt to forcefully overthrow a democratic Order in clear violation of Section 1 sub-section 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“The PDP draws the attention of the Inspector General of Police to the subversive utterances of the APC Chairman in Rivers State which is capable of triggering a crisis and derailing the Democratic Order in the country.
“The APC must perish the thought of forcefully taking over Rivers State as such is a direct assault on the sensibility of the people which will be resisted firmly.
“The APC Chairman in Rivers State should come to terms with the fact that Rivers State is home to PDP and that the people of Rivers State are not ready to put their destiny in the hands of a corrupt, oppressive, and anti-people Special Purpose Vehicle like the APC.
“The national leadership of the PDP expresses appreciation to the people of Rivers State for always standing with the PDP and urges them to continue to resist the APC in its vicious attempt to inject violence and destabilize the State.”
