The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has accused Governor Siminialayi Fubara of foot-dragging on implementing two critical resolutions of the December 2023 agreement for ending the political crisis in the state.
Although the party admitted that Fubara had implemented six resolutions, it wondered why he left the two critical components of the pact: the re-presentation of the state’s 2024 budget before the House of Assembly and the conduct of local government elections.
The party’s Chairman, Tony Okocha, argued that by not fully honouring the agreement, the governor had unwittingly put the state on “a keg of gunpowder.”
Okocha accused Fubara of being teleguided by a “purported elders forum’’ to deviate from implementing all the resolutions in the agreement.
He said it was hard to believe that a “career civil servant” who became a governor after the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike “sat on the noses of politicians and threw him up” has “reneged on agreements reached in the bedroom.”
He criticised the governor’s leadership style, saying the APC might go to court to compel compliance with the agreement.
The APC chairman said: “When the matter reached a crescendo and was almost turning into an emergency, several calls were put across to President Tinubu to wade in.
“The President subsequently invited all the stakeholders from both sides, and we had a very decent meeting devoid of intimidation, harassment, duress or undue advantage given to anyone.
“During the meeting, the President emphasised the importance of upholding democracy and opted for a diplomatic approach.
“Following the discussions, the President presented an eight-point proclamation document and handed it over to former Rivers Governor Peter Odili.
“At every point, Odili read each point from the document, Tinubu interjected and asked if we were okay, and everybody echoed ‘yes.’
“After all parties agreed to the resolution, Governor Fubara, his deputy (Ngozi Odu), former Governor Nyesom Wike, myself, PDP chiefs in Rivers, National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; and Martins Amaewhule, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, all signed the document.”
The APC chieftain said that after the agreement was signed, Fubara requested protection for his supporters against victimisation, which was granted.
“The governor has implemented six resolutions, including withdrawing all cases before the courts, freeing the legislature, paying allowances due to lawmakers, and recognising Amaewhule as speaker.
“But, he has refused to implement two crucial agreements – the re-presentation of the state budget before the 27 lawmakers and the conduct of local government elections,” he stated.
He recalled that the President informed Fubara that no other titles outside those recognised by the 1999 Constitution would be used for the leadership of local governments.
His words: “Specifically, the President kicked against caretaker committees or sole administrators for the local government councils.
“So, Governor Fubara cannot, in his wildest imagination, continue to do as he pleases. He cannot continue to run the state without a budget.
“We will not stand aside and watch him violate the legal and constitutional agreement. We will not allow Fubara to disrespect the office of the President.
“Drafting a chairman or a sole administrator to oversee a local government is an aberration; only elected executives are recognised by law.
“Although no time frame was given for implementing the resolution, the governor cannot run the state without a budget.”