The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress stated that the besieged 27 House of Assembly members do not require the demolished House of Assembly complex or any physical edifice to carry out their job.
This was revealed on Thursday, when the state caretaker committee led a team to the APC’s national headquarters in Abuja.
27 MPs loyal to the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
Since then, a faction of the state House of Assembly loyal to the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has declared their seats vacant.
The PDP’s National Working Committee has also requested that the Independent National Electoral Commission hold new elections to replace them.
Addressing reporters, Chief Tony Okocha, Chairman of the Rivers APC committee, emphasized that the majority of legislators can meet anywhere as long as the mace is there.
Okocha, an associate of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, also justified the defection of House of Assembly members, saying it was not an isolated incident.
He said,
“The House of Assembly can be moved to anywhere. It is not necessarily down to a building. Provided the mace is present there, members can sit anywhere. As of this morning, the 27 lawmakers met and even signed some resolutions.
“Even when the building was burnt, the governor never bothered to set up a panel or committee to investigate. Apparently, we know he was the mastermind.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), the government brought it down to prove fait accompli to the members who defected. But we as a party have said we will fight illegalities and not allow anybody to hound any lawmaker.
“We are here to tell the world that we stand with the. What they did is not an aberration. Defection is not new. In 2014, the PDP was run aground and the members left in droves to the opposing party.
“The PDP in Rivers has imploded and we are benefiting from the reward. We are telling the governor he cannot thrive on illegalities. I have given instruction to the legal adviser to petition the NJC to report the judge for delivering that ‘Jankara’ judgment.”
When asked if the lawmakers actually planned to impeach Governor Sim Fubara before the demolition of the legislative quarters took place, Okocha dodged the question but insisted that impeachment is equally an element of the democratic process.
The Rivers APC caretaker committee chair also maintained that there are provisions in the constitution that explain why any member can leave a party.
“I will be reluctant to answer that (attempt to impeach Fubara) because I am not a member of the House of Assembly. Again, impeachment is typical of a democratic process. The much I know is that we haven’t got to that stage. It is just the crude manner the government adopted we will fight. There are provisions in the constitution, which provide reasons people can leave a party. Are you not aware that it was their indiscretion that led to members leaving?
“But having four members who sat is an error and illegal. We as a political party will fight all illegalities by the governor. I have wooed Wike publicly before when we were doing Renewed Hope to come to Macedonia and help us.
“In 2023, because he refused to work with the PDP presidential candidate, APC won. Yesterday, I reiterated our plea for him to come and he will become the leader of the party. But what is happening in Rivers is that Fubara has left governance completely and beginning to chase shadows,” he said.