In an attempt to put an end to the political turmoil in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has accused Governor Siminialayi Fubara of dragging out the implementation of two crucial resolutions from the December 2023 agreement.
The party acknowledged that Fubara had put six resolutions into effect, but it questioned why he excluded the two most important parts of the agreement: holding local elections and representing the state budget to the House of Assembly in 2024.
Tony Okocha, the party’s chairman, contended that the governor had inadvertently placed the state on “a keg of gunpowder” by failing to uphold the terms of the agreement.
Okocha accused Fubara of straying from carrying out all of the agreement’s resolutions because he was being teleguided by a “purported elders forum.”
“Career civil servant” who rose to the position of governor following Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike’s “sit on the noses of politicians and threw him up” was reported to have “reneged on agreements reached in the bedroom,” which he found hard to comprehend.
He criticized the governor’s management style and threatened legal action by the APC to enforce the agreement.
“Several calls were made to President Tinubu to intervene when the situation reached a crescendo and was almost turning into an emergency,” the APC chairman stated.
After that, the President extended an invitation to all parties involved, and we had a very civil meeting free from coercion, harassment, fear, or excessive favoritism.
“The President chose a diplomatic approach and emphasized the need of maintaining democracy during the discussion.
“The President submitted an eight-point proclamation document to former Rivers Governor Peter Odili after the meetings.
Every time Odili read a passage from the text, Tinubu interrupted to ask if we were alright, to which everyone responded in the affirmative.
“After the resolution was approved by all parties, the document was signed by Speaker of the House of Assembly Martins Amaewhule, Governor Fubara, his deputy Gozi Odu, former Governor Nyesom Wike, myself, and the PDP chiefs in Rivers and National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu.”
According to the APC leader, following the agreement’s signature, Fubara asked for security for his followers from being victimized, and this request was fulfilled.
“The governor has put into effect six resolutions, which include recognizing Amaewhule as speaker, releasing the legislature, and dropping all matters pending in court.
“However, he has declined to carry out two very important agreements: holding local government elections and re-presenting the state budget to the 27 lawmakers,” he said.
He mentioned that Fubara was told by the President that local government leadership positions will only be filled with titles recognized by the 1999 Constitution.
In his own words: “The President specifically took aim at caretaker committees or single administrators for local government bodies.
Therefore, Governor Fubara is unable to carry out his wishes in the slightest. Without a budget, he cannot continue to govern the state.
“We refuse to remain silent while he flouts the law and the constitution. Fubara’s contempt for the President’s office will not be tolerated.
“It is abnormal to draft a chairman or a single administrator to manage a local government; the law only recognizes elected executives.”
“The governor cannot run the state without a budget, even though there was no timeline specified for putting the resolution into effect.”
