Rivers APC: Fubara not committed to mending ties with assembly members

The Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state has accused Siminalayi Fubara, suspended governor of the state, of displaying a lack of genuine commitment toward reconciliation with members of the state house of assembly.

The party claimed that Fubara has not taken any concrete steps toward mending the fractured relationship with the state’s legislature.

On March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared  emergency rule in Rivers over the political crisis between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

Following the declaration, Tinubu suspended both the governor and the Rivers state house of assembly, and appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice admiral, as sole administrator for a six-month period.

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have since challenged the president’s actions in court.

Recent meetings involving Tinubu, Wike and Fubara have sparked speculation of a possible reconciliation.

But addressing journalists at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Tony Okocha, chairman of the Rivers APC caretaker committee, refuted the claims.

He said the political crisis in Rivers has not been resolved, noting that a supreme court judgment and an impeachment process initiated by the state assembly over alleged misconduct still hang over the governor.

“I can confirm that there is no reconciliation effort currently underway in Rivers,” he said.

“The suspended governor, Fubara, has not made any move to reconcile with the lawmakers. Only genuine reconciliation can save him from impeachment, as the supreme court judgment stands.”

Okocha also refuted claims that Fubara was considering defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

“To the best of my knowledge as Rivers APC chairman, with ears to the ground across local and ward levels, there’s no indication that Fubara is planning to join the APC,” he said.

“If he intends to join, his sins cannot be forgiven. He won’t be allowed to enter through the back door. There are procedures for joining the APC.”