All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has accused Governor Similanayi Fubara of plotting to procure interim orders from judges to stop the implementation of laws which he was vetoed over by the State House of Assembly.
The Assembly had at an unscheduled sitting last month, ruled against Fubara to enact the Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) Service Commission Law.
According to the lawmakers, more than the constitutionally required 30 days had elapsed since they sent the notice of the amendment to the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission law to the Governor for his assent.
But Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC in Rivers, Chief Tony Okocha, at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Thursday,
alleged that Governor Fubara had plans to engage some judges to obtain the interim order with which to declare the Rivers State House of Assembly as constituted and as led by Hon. Martin Amaehwule as illegal.
Okocha accused the Governor of wanting to capitalize on the interim order to appoint care taker committee of chairmen of the local government areas in the State.
He said, “I want to use this opportunity to inform Rivers people and Nigerians of the move by the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to procure interim orders from Judges that I may not name here, but I will put in my petition today to the National Judicial Council.
“He wants to procure interim order stopping the implementation of the laws which he was vetoed over. He wants to procure an order to announce as illegal the Rivers State House of Assembly as constituted and as led by Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule. The Governor is in the business as we speak and I speak with all authority because the walls have ears.
“These are the plans that are on and he is doing that so that he will now leverage on that order to go ahead to appoint caretaker committees in local government against the warning of the man he says he respects, the President.
“But let me put it clearly here that we will stoutly, vehemently oppose such negative subterranean moves by a man who ought to protect the dignity and integrity of a state called Rivers. Rivers State cannot be turned to a pariah because of cluelessness of one person. Rivers State is a state to be reckoned with in the comity of nations, highly respected and regarded”
“But see how dangerously we have fallen because we have a Governor that does not understand his left from his right. So we to put out this clearly to Nigerians and to Rivers people that we will stoutly disobey that. The gift according to Frantz Fanon that I like so much, the gift to an intransigence government is civil disobedience.
“If the Government of Siminalayi Fubara tends towards intransigence, then he will meet with civil disobedience. It is just natural.”
But in his reaction to the allegation, Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Mr Joe Johnson, said Governor Fubara does no backyard business and cannot make such plot.
Johnson said, “There is nothing like that we are not given to backyard business. My governor does not do anything that is illegal and he is not interested in any illegality. Whatever will come from the courts will not come from the back door. We are not like them and the governor has said that he will surprise them so he will surprise them.”