Impeachment Directive: Brazen Call For Anarchy, Perish Thought – PDP Warns APC
The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the impeachment directive issued against Governor Siminalayi Fubara by the Chairman of All Progressives Congress in the state, was a brazen call for anarchy is tantamount to an attempt to overthrow a democratic order forcefully.
The party, therefore warned the APC to perish the thought of a forceful takeover in the state.
The rift between the Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, and his predecessor, Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesome Wike, commenced last year when the Assembly, primarily composed of Wike’s supporters, attempted to impeach the governor.
Despite initially reaching a truce mediated by President Bola Tinubu, tensions reignited as they disagreed on the terms of the peace agreement.
Subsequently, the Assembly exerted its authority by passing two bills despite the governor’s objections.
READ: Impeachment: Rivers Govt Warns APC, Says 27 Pro-Wike Lawmakers Don’t Exist
On Monday, Fubara denounced the Assembly as an unlawful entity, asserting its non-existence.
Furthermore, he maintained that the eight-point peace accord facilitated by the President was merely a political resolution rather than a constitutional matter.
Consequently, on Tuesday, the State All Progressives Congress Caretaker Committee Chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, urged the 27 members of the State House of Assembly aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to promptly initiate impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
Reacting, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, while addressing a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, described Okocha’s call as an unlawful directive.
He stated that the irresponsible and unjustified remarks made by the APC Chairman in Rivers State reveal the extreme desperation of the APC, a party widely rejected in Rivers State, to employ violence, coercion, and intimidation in order to subvert the democratic will of the people and seize control of the State by force.
Ologunagba said, “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.”
The PDP spokesperson urged the Inspector General of Police to pay attention to the statements made by the APC Chairman in Rivers State, cautioning that they have the potential to incite unrest and disrupt the democratic process in the country, emphasizing that the constitution is unequivocal on this matter.
Ologunagba continued, “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.
“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 seats 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 crisis and derailing the Democratic Order in the country.”
He urged the APC Chairman in Rivers State to acknowledge that Rivers State is firmly under the control of the PDP and that the residents of the state are not inclined to change this allegiance.
Ologunagba stated “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.”
