PDP to APC: Bury the idea of impeaching Gov Fubara

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the latest move to impeach the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

The APC chairman in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, had on Tuesday directed the party members in the state House of Assembly to resume impeachment proceedings against the governor over alleged gross misconduct.

He said the party would not sit back and watch the governor insult President Bola Tinubu.

The chairman threatened to initiate disciplinary measures against the APC lawmakers if they failed to resume the impeachment proceedings against the governor.

However, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP bluntly told the ruling party to bury the thought of impeaching Fubara.

The party reminded APC that the lawmakers in question are not legally members of the Assembly and cannot contemplate the impeachment of the governor.

The PDP stressed that the statement credited to Okocha showed the APC desperation to take over the state through the back door.

READ ALSO: APC directs members in Rivers Assembly to resume impeachment proceedings against Fubara

The statement read: “The attention of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to a delusional declaration by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 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.

“The fact that the Rivers State APC Chairman, in his warped imagination, thinks he can direct impeachment proceeding against a duly elected State Governor not only shows the level of APC’s arrogance and condescension for the people of Rivers State but also further confirms APC’s desperation to forcefully annex their democratic rights under the Constitution.

“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

“For emphasis, Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution provides that: “a member of a House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if … (g) being a person whose election to the House of Assembly was sponsored by a political Party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected.

“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.”

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