Rivers State governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has failed the people of the state.
Fubara who on Thursday played host to the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation led by its chairman, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu stated that his government has chosen to de-emphasise party, but focus more on the people.
According to him, “In our state today, we are no longer doing party. We are doing a movement, so you don’t blame me if I don’t go to the side of the party too much.
“The party has failed us here, so what we are doing here is to stand with our two legs on the soil of Rivers State, so that we can defend democracy.”
Governor Fubara was speaking on the backdrop of the lingering political crisis orchestrated by his falling out with his predecessor, Mr. Nyesom Wike who has joined the All Progressives Congress led government of President Bola Tinubu. Wike serves as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
However, responding to the position of the governor, the leader of the Senate Committee, former governor of Abia State, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu who described Fubara as a “man of peace”urged for caution, promising to intervene and speak to both President Bola Tinubu and Nyesom Wike.
He said, “I want to plead with you to abide by the rules of the land. I plead with you to abide by what the constitution says.
“A few of us here have very good access to President Bola Tinubu and we are also going to plead with him seriously to see how he can shorten everything happening here.
“We will also find time to go and speak to former Governor Nyesom Wike as I will speak to President Tinubu. So please, Your Excellency, you look like a very peaceful man
“Your face shows a very peaceful man. There is nothing like peace. Let people who are eating with this problem stop eating with it.”
The Rivers State political crisis has continued to elicit interest from various quarters including the National Assembly. A group of 60 lawmakers led by a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere has accused the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Hon. Umar Damagun of being complicit in the crisis in Rivers State.
Ugbochiyere who addressed the media on behalf of the 60 lawmakers said wondered why the PDP leadership was keeping quiet while the fortunes of the party gets frittered away.
He said:
“Have Nigerians wondered why Damagun kept quiet while 27 members of Rivers State House of Assembly elected on the platform of PDP left the party? He kept quiet while they were threatening to impeach a governor in his party. Nigerians will be shocked to hear that Damagun was consulted and is fully aware of the entire details of the plots to impeach the Rivers State Governor, and he gave his approval to the plot, yet he refers to himself as a chairman of a party. The shamelessness in this entire episode is limitless.”
The position of Hon Ugochinyere further divided the Rivers State caucus in the House of Representatives with Hon Dum Deekor denouncing Ugochinyere and calling for sanctions against him for allegedly inflaming the political crisis in Rivers State.
Hon Deekor reaction in turn attracted the of the Leader of the Rivers State Caucus in the House, Hon. Awaji-Inombek D. Abiante who denounced Deekor’s criticism stating that he was not speaking for the caucus.
The Rivers State caucus leader in a statement defended the activities of Hon Ugochinyere in relation to the state, maintaining that as a member of the National Assembly, the Imo lawmaker has the right to speak on any issue affecting any part of Nigeria.
The caucus’ statement reads:
“The Rivers State Caucus in the House of Representatives read with dismay a statement purportedly issued by the member representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency, Hon. Dumnamene Deekor calling for the discipline of the Coordinator of the G-60 Lawmakers in the Green Chamber, Hon. Ugochinyere Ikenga over his position on vexed issues in the polity.
“While we wouldn’t stand against the popular phrase: ‘everybody is entitled to his opinion’, we refused to collectively accede to Dum Deekor’s self serving stands as he has never been elected by the Rivers State Caucus to speak on our behalf.
“It is a trite knowledge and backed by precedence that the Leadership of the Rivers State Caucus in the House of Representatives and the National Assembly are based on seniority. Hon Dum Deekor being a second term lawmaker cannot arrogate to himself the position of Caucus Leader in the midst of 3rd and 4th term lawmakers.
“For the records, Deekor was properly elected in 2019 haven lost his seat in 2015 at the Court of Appeal which barred him from being a member of the 8th Assembly. He was recently reelected in 2023 to serve his second term in the House. This alone disqualifies him to jostle for the leadership of the Rivers State Caucus.
“We call on the general public to discountance Dum Deekor’s statement as vituperations of a gord being